Open for Business! - University of Georgia College of Veterinary

Transcription

Aesculapian
The University of Georgia®
College of Veterinary Medicine
Spring/Summer 2015
Vol. 15, No. 2
Veterinary Medical Center
to open March 25!
Open for Business!
Also: ‘Magic Bullets’ may treat brain tumors
Alumni Awards
Ezenwa Awarded Fulbright
Aesculapian | Spring/Summer 2015
1
Aesculapian
Spring/Summer 2015
Vol. 15, No. 2
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kat Yancey Gilmore
MANAGING EDITOR AND DESIGNER
Lee Adcock
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Lee Adcock
Sam Fahmy
Kat Yancey Gilmore
James Hataway
Cindy Rice
PHOTOGRAPHY
Lee Adcock
Paul Efland
Christopher B. Herron
Rick O’Quinn
Sue Myers Smith
Andrew Davis Tucker
ADMINISTRATION
Jere W. Morehead, President
Pamela S. Whitten, Provost
Sheila W. Allen, Dean
Harry W. Dickerson, Associate Dean for
Research and Graduate Affairs
Karen Cornell, Associate Dean for
Academic Affairs
Sean Rogers, Director of Finance
and Administration
Gary Baxter, Associate Dean for Clinical Services
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Kathy Bangle, Director,Veterinary
External Affairs
Molly Muschamp Thomas, Associate Director
of Development
Marti Brick, Director, Alumni Relations
Cindy Rice, Communications Director,
Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Karen Aiken, Hospital Client Development Officer,
Kat Yancey Gilmore, Director, Public Relations
Sue Myers Smith, Web Manager
Smith Ellis, Web Developer
Aesculapian is published by the
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine’s
Office of Public Relations for alumni and friends.
Please send story ideas, class notes or letters to:
Editor, Aesculapian
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-7371
or email: kygilmor@uga.edu
Copyright 2015 the University of Georgia.
No part of this publication may be reproduced without
permission from the editor. The University of Georgia is
committed to principles
of equal opportunity and affirmative action.
UGA COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD
Chad Schmiedt, President
Flynn Nance, Immediate Past President
Marian Shuler Holladay, President-Elect
Doris Miller, Secretary-Treasurer
Eddie Crittendon Jr.
Rebecca Dixon
Karen Duncan
Jamie Fleming
Bradley Heins
Alan Herring
Pat Hill
Brett Levitzke
Jennifer Proctor
Greg Winter
Michael Zager
Sheila W. Allen, Ex Officio
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Introducing the new UGA Veterinary Medical Center, which
includes a state-of-the-art hospital and a new classroom
building for our students! Photo by Paul Efland.
A Message from the Dean
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CollegeNews
5
5 Ezenwa wins Fulbright
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Groundbreaking discovery from De La Fuente team
8 Two noted researchers join CVM
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Equine surgeon selected to head education program
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He and Fu develop new treatment for rabies
HospitalNews
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12 Ribbon-cutting and Opening Day photos
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Teaching Hospital opens at new location
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New equipment helps put VTH at the forefront of animal care
FacultyNews
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Ward wins Meigs Professorship
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Maurer’s milestone
23
Carmichael wins Iverson Bell Award
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Faculty awards from Phi Zeta Day
facebook.com/ugavetmed
instagram.com/facesofvetmed
The
University of Georgia | College of Veterinary Medicine
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twitter.com/ugavetmed
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Meet the winners of the 2015 Distinguished
Alumni Awards. Photo by Sue Myers Smith.
AlumniNews
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26 Greetings from your Alumni Association!
28 Alumni Profile: Dr. Michael Yabsley
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Three alumni recognized at annual conference
33
Cornell, Gogel recognized by Alpha Psi and OTS
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Class notes and obituaries
StudentNews
35
36 Phi Zeta honors for 2015
38 New student ambassadors
39
Highlights from 2015 Honors and Awards banquet
Why We Give
42 Dr. Cynthia Ward, second from right, was among four UGA
faculty members to receive the Josiah Meigs Distinguished
Teaching Professorship in 2015. Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker.
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John and Jeanne Capozzi
ugavetmed.smugmug.com
youtube.com/ugavetmed
On the Cover:
Minnie, a 10-year-old yellow
Labrador retriever, was one
of the first appointments seen
on the opening day of the
new UGA Veterinary Teaching
Hospital at 2200 College Station
Road. From left to right are
Tracy Hayden, small animal
rehabilitation supervisor Jodi
Seidel, Minnie’s owner John
Gittleman, Minnie’s companion
Brookie, Minnie, and veterinary
technician Daina Rollor. Photo by
Sue Myers Smith.
flickr.com/ugavetmed
Aesculapian
| Spring/Summer 2015
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Dear Alumni and Friends of the College,
The doors to our new Veterinary Medical Center opened on March
25, 2015. It certainly was a long road to get to this point, and so
many deserve our thanks for helping us get here. I look at the VMC
and find myself filled with wonder, gratitude and pride stemming
from all we have accomplished as a community and what this facility
will mean to all who will benefit from it—students, patients, clients,
faculty and staff—in the years ahead.
As I read the stories in this issue of the Aesculapian, I am reminded
that we routinely make tremendous achievements as a College, as a
community, and as individuals who comprise our community. To
cite a few, which you can read about in this issue:
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•
Dr. Vanessa Ezenwa recently traveled to France on a Core
Fulbright Scholarship to study patterns of diseases in people.
She is the third member of our faculty to be named a Fulbright
Scholar in recent years.
Drs. Biao He and Zhen Fu have developed a rabies vaccine
that interrupts the disease process in mice—a significant
breakthrough offering hope that one day we can cure this deadly
disease.
Dr. Allen with her Australian shepherds, Flint (left)
and Brandy. Photo by Sue Myers Smith.
Dr. Paige Carmichael became the 14th person to receive the
Iverson Bell Award from the Association of American Veterinary
Medical Colleges, awarded for her work toward promoting greater diversity at our College and in veterinary
education in general.
As a community, our achievements are seemingly never ending. Each spring we celebrate the accomplishments of
our alumni during our annual alumni weekend. We follow that with a recognition of our students’ achievements
during our Honors and Awards night, and a few weeks later we celebrate graduation. The cycle is an annual
reminder that our profession affords us all an ongoing opportunity to serve our world—whether you choose to be a
doctor to animals, an educator to future generations of veterinarians, a diagnostician, a researcher, a consultant to
industry, or to serve in the realm of public health.
Every day that I walk through the doors to our College, I am reminded of your individual and collective capacity
to support the continued excellence of our fine institution. I am grateful for your service to the profession, your
endless desire to advance veterinary medicine, and your continued financial support of all the missions of our
College.
Thank you for all you do to distinguish yourselves, to celebrate one another’s achievements, and to help advance
veterinary medical education for generations to come!
Sincerely,
Sheila W. Allen
Dean
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The University of Georgia | College of Veterinary Medicine
Patterns of Infection
Dr. Vanessa Ezenwa. Photo by Peter Frey.
Dr. Ezenwa wins Fulbright to study parasites in people
By Lee Adcock
In the field of infectious diseases, Vanessa Ezenwa (EHzen-wa) looks at the big picture. Her interest in “community
ecology”—like how an infection by one type of parasite or
of one type of host can ripple across other species —has
taken her from the wetlands of Louisiana to the savannahs of
Kenya and South Africa. Lately, that quest has driven Ezenwa
to France, for a Fulbright-backed study of the ecology of
infectious diseases in humans.
Like many students attracted to the life sciences, Ezenwa
started on the pre-med track when she was an undergraduate
at Rice University in Houston, Texas. However, after her
first taste of ecology research in the lab, she switched gears
and pursued a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology
at Princeton. “What was more interesting than pursuing
medical school was asking questions about how things
work,” said Ezenwa. “Or, instead of using the knowledge,
discovering the knowledge.”
After teaching for five years at the University of Montana,
Ezenwa was offered the chance to come to UGA in 2010.
With her unique research experience, she was jointly
appointed to the Odum School of Ecology and the CVM’s
Department of Infectious Diseases. Such a position sounds
extraordinary—but there are four other faculty with similar
appointments at UGA.
Now an associate professor, Ezenwa studies parasites
in wild mammals, but her research addresses major public
health concerns. One of Ezenwa’s primary study subjects—
parasitic worms, or helminths—infect about a third of the
world’s population. In her study at Kruger National Park in
South Africa, she looked at African buffalo infected with
both worms and bovine tuberculosis to see how infection
with each of the two pathogens would affect the host
response to the other. Ezenwa treated half the buffalo for
worms, and left the other half alone. As a result, the treated
buffalo were nine times more likely to survive TB infection—
but these survivors may continue to infect other individuals
with TB within the population, potentially increasing the
spread of TB. The results of the study were published in
Science in January (http://tinyurl.com/nuqqtut).
Just as the interactions between two pathogens in
one host can shake up the population’s overall health,
one pathogen can also behave in unexpected ways when
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CollegeNews
Patterns continued
introduced to multiple types of hosts. For her postdoctoral
research, Ezenwa looked at how the West Nile Virus spread
between various bird and mosquito species in the wetlands
of Louisiana. In this case, the variety of hosts slowed the
transmission of the virus.
The rationale behind this is still up for debate. “One
reason could be that not all hosts are equal in their ability to
allow the virus to grow,” said Ezenwa. “Some species are just
bad hosts. In terms of West Nile virus, bad hosts might slow
the rate of transmission by keeping mosquitos from biting
hosts that would provide a more favorable species for viral
growth.”
Ezenwa also observes animal behaviors and how they
relate to the spread of an infection. In Kenya, she’s seen how
male Grant’s gazelles accumulate more parasites through
their aggressive mating strategies and how—at the same
time—those parasites suppress the gazelles’ ability to mate.
“All of the dynamic variability that we see—like when
the male defends a territory in order to gain mates, and then
suddenly stops —might be driven, in part, by the parasites in
the system,” said Ezenwa. “You can’t understand that behavior
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without understanding this driving force.”
Ezenwa’s research in France draws on her experiences
working on wild animal systems to examine infectious
diseases in people. Rather than creating new data, she
gathered datasets from one species—humans—on several
diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria and worm
infections.
Ezenwa first traveled to France in 2013, when a group of
scientists invited her to a discussion on a familiar topic—the
diversity of species and its impact on the spread of disease.
“From meeting those colleagues, I thought, ‘Oh, this would
be a great place to come and work with them more on this
topic,’” said Ezenwa. So she applied for a Fulbright and was
rewarded with the opportunity to spend six months in France
on her proposed project. (Ezenwa was one of five UGA
faculty members to receive a Core Fulbright Scholar Award
for 2014-2015, and she is the third CVM faculty member to
receive one within the last four years.)
Ezenwa is now back at UGA searching for patterns in
the data she gathered while in France. “The nice thing about
the Fulbright was the opportunity to really get this project
started,” she said.
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, of Georgia,
toured the College of Veterinary
Medicine’s new Veterinary Medical
Center on April 10 during a visit to the
University of Georgia. He is pictured
here with Dr. Sheila W. Allen, dean of
the College, in front of the Veterinary
Education Center. “I really enjoyed
getting to interact with the students
at UGA, and I was very impressed with
the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and
Education Center,” said Isakson about
his visit to campus. “It is important
to continue to enhance the caliber of
educational offerings at the university
level, and the Veterinary Medical Center
is a great example of this.” Photo by Sue
Myers Smith.
Protein necessary for fertility performs
different roles in sperm, eggs
BRWD1, a protein necessary for fertility in both sexes,
gene activity.
performs distinctly different roles in male and female
By contrast, in oocytes, a lack of BRWD1 results in a
gametes: it controls gene expression in maturing sperm,
surge of bad information via noncoding RNAs, and only
while promoting chromosome condensation and stability in
three genes showed a dramatic increase in expression.
female cells called oocytes, which become eggs. The study
Chromosomes were often abnormally long or fractured;
touting this groundbreaking finding, made by researchers
chromatids did not condense properly, or stuck to one
from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary
another only to stretch or break when they tried to separate.
Medicine, the Cornell University
Therefore, BRWD1 is necessary
College of Veterinary Medicine,
for chromosome stability during
and The Jackson Laboratory, was
female meiosis.
recently published in the Journal of
“It is remarkable that the
Cell Biology.
same protein, BRWD1, has
“These findings will give us
evolved to perform different
important clues toward the goal
functions in the development
of understanding the mechanisms
of sperm and eggs showing that
involved in early pregnancy loss
evolutionary processes can be
and infertility,” said Rabindranath
very efficient,” noted John J.
De La Fuente, DVM, MSc, PhD, an
Eppig, PhD, a professor emeritus
associate professor in the CVM’s
at the Jackson Laboratory, who
department of physiology and
collaborated on the project.
pharmacology. “We have known for
The study, “Mouse BRWD1
a while that chromosome stability
is
critical
for spermatid
Above: Claudia Baumann, left, a research scientist in the
De La Fuente Lab, and Rabindranath De La Fuente. Photo
is crucial to a successful pregnancy.
postmeiotic transcription and
by Christopher B. Herron. Below, left: Normal chromosome
The BRWD1 protein is fascinating
female meiotic chromosome
condensation in eggs from control females. Right:
as it serves a completely different
stability,” was published on
Chromosomes in eggs lacking BRWD1 exhibit both loss of
function in both sperm and eggs. In
Dec. 29 in the Journal of Cell
chromosome condensation and structural integrity. Scale
oocytes, we have yet to determine
Biology (http://jcb.rupress.org/
bar=10 microns. Figure courtesy of the De La Fuente Lab
in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, UGA
the epigenetic mechanisms that
content/208/1/3). In addition,
College of Veterinary Medicine.
lead to chromosome instability.
the study and its collaborators
This study contributes to our
were the subject of a JCB “In
understanding of the mechanisms
Focus” article in the same
of chromosome condensation in the
publication.
female germ cell.”
The research team included
The chromatin structure in
Shrivatsav Pattabiraman,
both sperm and oocytes changes as
Daniela Guisado, and John C.
each matures. In male mammals,
Schimenti, of the Department
when meiosis is complete, the
of Biomedical Sciences and
resulting cells, called spermatids,
Center for Vertebrate Genomics,
undergo rapid structural changes
Cornell University College
to make them functional: they
of Veterinary Medicine;
break free of their cytoplasm, sprout tails, and replace most
Claudia Baumann and Rabindranath De La Fuente, of the
of their histones with proteins called protamines, which
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, the University
further tightens their DNA. In pre-ovulatory oocytes, as
of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine; and John J. Eppig,
the genes shut down, their heterochromatin gathers along
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine.
the edge of the nucleolus. In their study, the researchers
Funding for the study was provided by the National
hypothesized that BRWD1 was responsible for orchestrating
Institute of Child Health and Human Development, at the
the postmeiotic changes that occur in both sexes.
National Institutes of Health, grant P01 HD42134, to Eppig
The investigators determined that in sperm, when
and Schimenti; and by NIH 2RO1-HD042740 and the
BRWD1 is absent, transcripts from hundreds of genes—all
Georgia Cancer Coalition to De La Fuente.
specific to spermatid development—were markedly reduced,
suggesting that in males BRWD1 is responsible for regulating
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CollegeNews
Two noted researchers join CVM
vaccines based upon this platform.
Ross is conducting his research with
nearly $18 million in external funding from
a variety of federal agencies, foundations and
corporate sponsors. Over the course of his
nearly 20 year career, he has garnered more
than $33 million in research funding from
the National Institutes of Health, National
Science Foundation, Department of Defense
and PATH Vaccine Solutions/Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.
Prior to joining VGTI Florida, Ross was
an associate professor at the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a member
of its Center for Vaccine Research. He began
his academic career at the East Carolina
School of Medicine in Greenville and conducted postdoctoral
research at Emory University’s Vaccine Research Center and
at Duke University.
Photo from Dr. Ross.
Ted M. Ross, PhD, one of the nation’s
leading infectious disease researchers, joined
the CVM in June as the Georgia Research
Alliance Eminent Scholar in Infectious
Diseases.
Ross previously served as the director of
the vaccines and viral immunity program at
the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of
Florida.
His research focuses on designing,
developing and testing vaccines for viral
diseases such as influenza, dengue, respiratory
syncytial virus, chikungunya, Ebola and HIV/
AIDS. The work he began while a faculty
Dr. Ted Ross.
member at the University of Pittsburgh to
create a universal vaccine to protect against all
strains of seasonal and pandemic influenza virus has resulted
in a new vaccine platform. In 2012, an agreement was signed
between Sanofi Pasteur and the University of Pittsburgh for
continued development and commercialization of influenza
Daniel R. Pérez, PhD, an influenza
built and directed the Prevention and Control
researcher whose work focuses on the
of Avian Influenza in the U.S. research
interspecies transmission and pathogenesis
network, was funded by the U.S. Department
of the virus, has joined the CVM as its new
of Agriculture to coordinate research,
Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished
education and outreach at 17 institutions. His
Investigator and Caswell Eidson Chair in
lab is currently an integral part of the Center
Poultry Medicine.
for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis, one
Pérez assumed the endowed chair position
of six NIH-funded Centers for Influenza
when he joined the College in April. He is
Research and Surveillance (CEIRS).
based at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research
In addition to studying the transmission
Center.
and pathogenesis of influenza A viruses, Pérez
Pérez’s work on influenza A viruses dates
also studies virus-to-virus and virus-to-host
back to the early 1990s when he was pursuing
protein interactions in the influenza A virus
his PhD in the department of veterinary
lifecycle, as well as the role of land-based birds
Dr. Daniel Pérez.
and biomedical sciences at the University
in the emergence of influenza A viruses with
of Nebraska. He later worked as a research
pandemic potential. He also works on the
associate in the department of infectious diseases at St. Jude
development of alternative influenza vaccination platforms,
Children’s Research Hospital and was involved in developing
and the development of influenza virus as a vector for
the first influenza H5N1 vaccine by reverse genetics. In 2003,
vaccinating against other diseases.
he joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, where he
The Georgia Research Alliance has partnered with Georgia’s research universities to recruit
world-class scientists who foster science- and technology-based economic development since
1990. The GRA also invests in technology for research labs, helps commercialize university-based
inventions and facilitates collaboration among universities, business and government.
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Equine surgeon now leads
Continuing Education
Dr. P. O. Eric Mueller, a professor of large animal
surgery and chief medical officer for the UGA Large
Animal Teaching Hospital, now leads the CVM’s
Continuing Education program.
Mueller, who also serves as the College’s director of
equine programs, has authored more than 60 scientific
publications and 20 veterinary book chapters. He is a
frequent speaker at national and international scientific
and continuing education meetings.
“Our continuing education programs are designed to
provide the highest quality and most current information
to our referring veterinarians and alumni, while at the
same time serving as an avenue to establish long lasting
personal relationships with our veterinarians,” said
Mueller. “I will solicit and encourage input from our
constituents in order to deliver clinically pertinent and
high-quality CE.”
Mueller came to UGA more than 20 years ago to
complete a residency in large animal surgery and a PhD
in gastrointestinal physiology. He received his DVM from
Michigan State University and his undergraduate degree
from the University of Vermont.
His research interests have focused on the
pathophysiology and treatment of tendon and ligament
injuries and the prevention of postoperative intraabdominal adhesion formation in horses.
For more information about Continuing Education
programs at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine,
contact Melissa Kilpatrick, coordinator for the program,
at melissak@uga.edu or 706.542.1451, or visit our website:
vet.uga.edu/ce.
Athens DLAB can identify
best antibiotics for treating
drug-resistant organisms
The Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory now uses
the VITEK®2 to rapidly detect drug-resistant bacteria
and help you determine the best drug to prescribe for
treating these pathogens. The VITEK®2 rapidly checks
the identified bacterial pathogen against a panel of
antibiotics to determine susceptibility and also provides
an MIC value for every drug contained within that
panel. Four panels are available:
• Gram Negative bacteria
• Gram Positive bacteria other than Enterococcus spp.
• Enterococcus spp. specific panel
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa specific panel
Please note: The Athens DLAB still provides Urine MICs
upon request ($18 cost). VITEK®2 tests are not available
for Food Animals, Exotics/Fish and Eye illnesses.
For more information: athndlab@uga.edu or
706.542.5568.
Left: The Class of 2015 and the
family of Dr. R. Bruce Hollett
recently donated to the College
a painting of Dr. Hollett treating
one of the Uga mascots. Hollett,
who earned his DVM from UGA
in 1972, served on the UGA
CVM faculty from 1991 until his
death in April 2013, including 22
years as director of the College’s
Continuing Education program.
During those years, he helped
provide veterinary care to the
Uga mascots owned by the
Seiler family. The portrait, titled
“The Check Up,” was painted
by Greg Harris, an artist who
resides in Athens. It was hung in
a main public corridor in the new
Veterinary Teaching Hospital,
which opened March 25. Pictured
from left: Hollett’s daughters,
Andrea Hollett DeCook and Elyse
Hollett Giles, his wife Libby, and
their son Todd Hollett. Photo by
Sue Myers Smith.
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CollegeNews
Beating the clock:
UGA researchers develop new treatment for rabies
By James Hataway
Successfully treating rabies can
to contribute to upper respiratory
be a race against the clock. Those
infections in dogs but is completely
who suffer a bite from a rabid
harmless to humans.
animal have a brief window of time
PIV5 acts as a delivery vehicle
to seek medical help before the virus
that carries the rabies protein to the
takes root in the central nervous
immune system so it may create the
system, at which point the disease is
antibodies necessary to fight off the
almost invariably fatal.
virus.
Now, researchers at the CVM
“This is only the beginning
have successfully tested a new
of our work,” He said. “While
treatment on mice that cures the
these preliminary results are very
disease even after the virus has
exciting, we are confident that we
spread to the brain. Their study was
can combine this new vaccine with
published in the Journal of Virology.
other therapies to boost survival
“Basically, the best way to deal
rates even higher and rescue
with rabies right now is simple:
animals even when symptoms are
Don’t get rabies,” said study cosevere.”
author Biao He, a professor of
Apart from being very effective
Drs. Biao He and Zhen Fu. Photo by Jessica Luton, 2013.
infectious diseases who holds
in saving the infected mice, the
the Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in
researchers emphasized that their vaccine is much safer when
Veterinary Medicine. “We have vaccines that can prevent the
compared to the best current treatment in mice, which uses a
disease, and we use the same vaccine as a kind of treatment
weakened version of the rabies virus.
after a bite, but it only works if the virus hasn’t progressed too
“It doesn’t matter how we weaken the current vaccine,
far.
the virus inside it is still rabies,” said study co-author Zhen
“Our team has developed a new
Fu, a professor in the department of
vaccine that rescues mice much
pathology. “That is not a concern with
longer after infection than what was
our PIV5 vaccine.”
traditionally thought possible.”
The researchers will continue to
In their mouse experiments, the
perfect their vaccine’s design and hope
animals were exposed to a strain of
to move into more advanced animal
the rabies virus that generally reaches
trials soon.
the brain of infected mice within
“There is an urgent need in
three days. By day six, mice begin to
many parts of the world for a better
exhibit the telltale physical symptoms
rabies treatment, and we think this
that indicate the infection has become
technology may serve as an excellent
fatal.
platform,” He said. “Ultimately, we just
However, 50 percent of mice
want to try to save more lives.”
treated with the new vaccine were
Other study co-authors are Ying
saved, even after the onset of physical
Huang, Zhenhai Chen and Junhua
symptoms on day six.
Huang from the College of Veterinary
“This is the most effective
Medicine.
treatment we have seen reported in
Their research was supported by
the scientific literature,” He said. “If
grants from the National Institute of
we can improve these results and translate them to humans,
Allergy and Infectious Disease under award numbers AIwe may have found one of the first useful treatments for
051560 and AI-093369.
advanced rabies infection.”
For a full version of the paper in the Journal of Virology,
He and his colleagues developed their vaccine by
see http://tinyurl.com/pjrbnvp.
inserting a protein from the rabies virus into another virus
known as parainfluenza virus 5, or PIV5, which is thought
Ultimately, we
just want to try to
save more
lives.
10
Please support Dr. Michael J. Topper for
President-elect of the AVMA
Extensive service
to the UGA CVM
Extensive experience
in organized veterinary medicine
•
•
•
•
Current delegate from Pennsylvania
to the AVMA House of Delegates
(HOD).
Served as chair of the AVMA House
Advisory Committee, and on other
AVMA committees.
Past president of the District of
Columbia VMA and their delegate to
the HOD.
Past secretary/treasurer and
councilor for the American College of
Veterinary Pathologists.
•
•
Michael J. Topper (DVM ’80, PhD ’97)
Mike Topper is director of clinical
pathology for Merck Research
Laboratories in West Point, Pa.
He is a retired colonel who served 22
years in U.S.Army Veterinary Corps.
•
•
•
•
Served on the Executive Board of the
Alumni Association of the College of
Veterinary Medicine, 2004-2014.
President of the CVM’s Alumni
Association, 2010-2012.
OTS trustee since 2000.
Member of the UGA Heritage Society.
Member of the UGA President’s Club.
Recognized with a Distinguished
Alumnus Award in 2010.
The AVMA HOD elects the President-elect. To voice your support, contact the
HOD Delegate from your state’s association!
July 2015 AVMA Convention - Announcement of Candidacy
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August 2016 AVMA Convention – Voting
Open for Business
Story and photos by Sue Myers Smith
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the College’s Veterinary Medical Center was held on
a blustery Friday, February 13. Six weeks later the facility was fully operational
and accepting patients by appointment as well as emergencies.
Top: The Veterinary Medical Center’s main entrance for small
animal hospital clients makes a grand statement at nightfall.
Around the building to the right is the 24-hour emergency
entrance for small animal patients. Middle row, from left: UGA
administration and government officials cut the ribbon to dedicate
the new Veterinary Medical Center. Gov. Nathan Deal speaks to the
crowd of 800+ gathered for the dedication ceremony and ribbon
cutting (photos by Paul Efland, University of Georgia). Left: Dr. Ko
Nagata, a radiation oncologist in the Department of Veterinary
Biosciences and Diagnostic Imaging, explains how the linear
accellerator (or LinAc) works to target a specific patient’s tumor
during a treatment (photo by Paul Efland, University of Georgia).
12
This page, top left:
Veterinary students on a
theriogenology (reproductive
medicine) rotation examine
samples in one of the new
laboratories in the VMC.
From opening day, March
25 — Top right: Veterinary
students gather in one of
the service-specific rounds
rooms to discuss cases on
the opening day of the
VMC. Middle row, from left:
Kimberly Mitchell (DVM
2015) checks on Stella, a
13-year-old radiated tortoise
who was brought in for
a post-surgery checkup.
Beth Lynn (DVM 2015)
handles Warwick, a 7-yearold Fresian gelding, who
was visiting the VMC for a
gait evaluation. Christina
Scanlon (DVM 2016)
examines Ripley, a 10-yearold domestic longhair cat.
Right: Veterinary technician
Daina Rollor gives Minnie,
a 10-year-old yellow Lab, a
workout on the underwater
treadmill to maintain
Minnie’s mobility.
13
A
C
B
D
E
A. Oncologist Dr. Nicole Northrup with Mrs.
Georgia Sobh in the oncology suite, named in
honor of the Sobhs’ beloved dog, Nikita, who
was an oncology patient.
B. Dr. Eric Mueller (R) explains the benefits
of the new large animal anesthesia induction
and surgery area.
C. One of eight small animal ORs in the new
facility; this room was named by Don and
Suzanne Leebern.
D. The powerful new 3T MRI unit is accesible
from both the small animal and large animal
areas of the hospital.
E. One of several conference rooms on the
second floor of the new building; this room
was named in honor of Dr. Melissa KlingNewberry (DVM ’83) by her parents, Dr. J.M.
(DVM ’59) and Mrs. Kling.
F. Dean Sheila W. Allen (L) talks about the
small animal surgery ward, which was largely
funded by donations from past small animal
surgery residents.
14
F
Friends of the CVM attended a
celebratory dinner the evening
before the ribbon cutting at
the Veterinary Medical Center,
Thursday, February 12, 2015.
1: Veterinary student Matthew
Jones (DVM 2016), Mrs. Susan
Forehand, Mr. Tony Campbell,
Mrs. Kathy Bangle.
2: Mrs. Cindy Bohn, Dean Sheila W.
Allen, Dr. Henry Bohn (DVM ’62).
1
2
3
4
3. Mrs. Lindy Lukert and Dr. Phil
Lukert Jr. (DVM ’85), student
Patrick Singletary (DVM 2016), Dr.
Keith (DVM ’84) and Mrs. Kelly
Miller.
4. Mrs. Nancy Roberson, Dr. Flynn
(DVM ’83) and Dr. Susan Nance
(DVM ’84), Dr. Ed Roberson (DVM
’61, PhD ’72).
5. Dr. Gary Bullard (DVM ’69), Dr.
Mark Mosher (DVM ’81), Dr. Ralph
Askren (DVM ’88).
6. Mrs. Judith Neiss, Dr. Eric
Mueller (PhD ’96), Mr. Edgar Neiss.
7. Dr. Amie Koenig, Mr. Bill and
Mrs. Melanie Kress, student Jenny
Munhofen (DVM 2016).
8. Dr. Sally Papp (DVM ’70), Ms. Jo
Newell, Mr. Carlton Bain.
9. Dr. Doug Allen (MS ’87), Dr.
Charles and Mrs. Marilyn Martin.
6
5
8
7
9
15
HospitalNews
We have moved!
Teaching Hospital opens at new location
By Cindy H. Rice
The University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital
saw its first appointments on March 25 at its new location,
2200 College Station Road. Helping christen the facility were
animals ranging from dogs and cats to turtles, horses and
cows.
Minnie, a 10-year-old yellow Labrador retriever (on our
cover), came to the Hospital’s rehabilitation service to use
one of the brand-new underwater treadmills. She has been a
patient of the Hospital since January and uses the treadmill
to help maintain her mobility and decrease pain caused by
chronic osteoarthritis in both of her knees.
“The new facility is great,” said Minnie’s owner, John
Gittleman, dean of the UGA Odum School of Ecology.
“It is bigger, brighter and is a much more comfortable
environment for people and animals.”
He added that he is also excited for the veterinary
students, who will benefit from the advanced technologies
featured in the new building. “When you learn from the best,
you can then deliver the best care wherever you go. It’s a win,
win, win.”
The Hospital is part of the new UGA Veterinary
Medical Center, which also includes an education building
for teaching third- and fourth-year veterinary students.
The Center
encompasses
just over 300,000
gross square
When you learn from
feet and was
the best, you can then
built to enable
deliver the best care
the College
of Veterinary
wherever you go.
Medicine to
better meet
its students’
educational
needs and its
current and
future patient
care demands.
“We have been working toward this day for a long time,”
said Sheila W. Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary
Medicine. “We are so thankful to UGA, the board of regents,
Govs. Perdue and Deal, the state legislature, the Georgia
taxpayers and our donors for their support of this project.
Veterinary medical education in Georgia will be well-served
through these new facilities for many years to come.”
The previous Hospital, which opened in 1979, handled
more than 25,000 visits per year in one of the smallest
veterinary teaching hospitals in the U.S. Now, the Hospital
will operate out of a building more than double the size of the
It’s a win,
win, win.
16
old facility and outfitted with top-of-the-line equipment and
improved functionality.
“This facility will allow the College to be on more equal
footing with peer veterinary hospitals in the Southeast and
across the country,” Associate Dean for Clinical Services
Gary Baxter said. “This was an essential step to be able to
attract the highestcaliber faculty, staff,
interns, residents
and students to the
University of Georgia
and to further
improve clinical
teaching, client
service and patient
care within the
Hospital.”
Other features
of the new Hospital
include a flexible
Warwick, a 7-year-old Fresian gelding, was
design to meet
among the first horses seen at our new
current needs
facility. He is pictured here in the Equine
Performance Arena with Beth Lynn (DVM
and allow for
2015). Photo by Sue Myers Smith.
future expansion;
separate emergency
entrances for large and small animals; numerous teaching
and collaboration spaces; expanded diagnostic imaging
capabilities; and radiation therapy for all animal species.
The Veterinary Education Center, which is part of the
Veterinary Medical Center campus, features a 160-seat
auditorium, an 80-seat technology-enabled active learning
classroom and two smaller classrooms for teaching veterinary
students.
“Providing advanced animal healthcare for large
and small animals while training the next generation of
veterinarians is the hallmark of our program,” Baxter said.
“Our new Hospital and Education Center will allow us to
continue this tradition of excellence.”
The Veterinary Medical Center was designed by
Perkins+Will and built by Turner Construction Co.
Third- and fourth-year veterinary students are now
located at the new facilities along with all clinical faculty
and staff. All other faculty, staff and students remain at the
College’s original campus, located on D.W. Brooks Drive.
The UGA Community Practice Clinic, which offers
primary care and wellness services—vaccinations, dentistry,
wellness exams and other services—to small companion
animals, also remains in its original location on the main
UGA campus.
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA®
Veterinary Medical Center
By the Numbers
for Small
187,000 Hospital
2.5X
& Large Animals
net square feet
our old facility
Center for
16,000 Education
Students & Continuing Ed.
net square feet
ENHANCED IMAGING
TECHNOLOGIES:
In our old facility, we accommodated
3
T
M R I CT
64-SLICE
U
N
I
T
SCANNER
animal visits in FY2014
Linear Accelerator
Sustainable Building
Practices Employed
water and energy conserving technologies
reduced
energy
use
40%
%
47
20%
reduction
in
potable
water
use
recycled materials incorporated
17
New equipment helps put VTH at the forefront of animal care
The new Veterinary Teaching Hospital features top-of-the-line equipment that is on the leading edge of what is currently
being used in veterinary medicine.
These improvements can be found throughout the facility and range from LED surgery lights to food animal hydraulic
chute systems for cattle. Some of the more significant technological advances in the new Hospital include the following:
Linear Accelerator
This new piece of equipment puts UGA at the forefront
of veterinary radiation therapy. A more advanced model
than what we had in our old hospital, its incredible precision
allows for a higher dosage of radiation to be delivered to the
tumor while sparing more of the surrounding normal tissue
from damage than ever before. Not only does this result in
fewer side effects each time the animal undergoes radiation
therapy, but it also reduces the number of therapy sessions
needed to treat the tumors that cannot be removed by
surgery.
For example, the new “linac” may allow us to treat a
small, well-defined brain tumor or a pituitary tumor with
just one round of radiation therapy instead of 18 rounds.
The speed of radiation delivery will also be about three times
faster, shortening the length of the treatment sessions.
The new linac’s advanced precision will also allow us
to treat more types of tumors. This may potentially include
lung and liver tumors, osteosarcoma, and urogenital tumors,
such as bladder/prostate tumors. Additionally, the room that
houses the linac was strategically designed so that it would be
large enough to allow large animal patients access to this new
technology as well.
64-Slice CT Scanner
This new machine allows the Hospital to preform a
wider variety of diagnostic procedures and can be used for
both small and large animals. It features outstanding image
sharpness and clarity combined with amazing speed. One
benefit of its rapid image acquisition is we can perform more
precise vascular and lung studies. The shorter scan times
also allow some of our small animal patients to be sedated
rather than put under general anesthesia, depending on the
procedure.
Additionally, it provides instantaneous access to 3-D data
by multiple users, which means our clinicians and students
will be able to review the diagnostic images jointly. The
significant improvements of this machine will enhance the
patient experience, accuracy of diagnostics, and the learning
environment.
3T Open Bore MRI
The MRI machine in our new facility is considered
top-of-the-line by veterinary and human medical standards.
It is more advanced than the model that was used at the
old hospital and features exceptional quality and speed as
well as state-of-the-art examination software that can sense
motion and decrease artifacts in the final diagnostic images it
produces.
Its open design can accommodate a wide variety of
patient shapes and sizes, allowing both our large and small
animal services to use it. It also allows for images to be
taken of the entire body without having to reposition the
patient. The machine is quieter and has improved clarity and
resolution for optimal cardiac, joint, brain and abdominal
imaging. Additionally, its speed has the potential to reduce
exam times by up to 20 percent, which also reduces
anesthesia times and overall stress on the animal.
Honor or memorialize family members, recent graduates, family
veterinarians or treasured animals and their owners with a
personalized brick or horseshoe!
Each donation to this program supports the College’s Veterinary
Medical Center. Brick tiles and horseshoes will be permanently
incorporated into a garden at the new hospital.
To order a brick or horseshoe, please visit
www.vet.uga.edu/giving/ or call us at 706.542.1807
HospitalNews
Current clinical trials
UGA first to attempt “magic bullet” implants on canine brain tumors
Veterinarians at the UGA College of Veterinary
Medicine are exploring a new way to treat brain
tumors that has the potential to impact the standard
of care in human medicine as well.
According to Simon R. Platt, BVM&S, MRCVS,
DACIVM (Neurology), DECVM, who is a professor
of neurology and neurosurgery at UGA, decades
have been spent trying to improve outcomes for
dogs afflicted with aggressive brain tumors, to little
avail. The same is true for human patients.
“Brain tumors in dogs are very similar to those
in people, and are typically just as devastating and
difficult to treat,” Platt said.
Given their location within the skull, many
tumors are not accessible to surgical excision, the
main treatment option for brain cancer. Radiation
therapy can be a good option for certain brain
cancers, such as meningioma, but there is little
evidence that other tumors respond favorably.
Likewise, chemotherapy has traditionally been
ineffective. This is in part because of the brain’s own
natural defense system.
In both people and animals, the brain is
protected by a barrier called the Blood Brain Barrier
(BBB). This BBB is responsible for blocking 100
percent of large molecules and 98 percent of small
molecules from entering the brain, thereby stopping
most chemotherapy from attacking these tumors.
The UGA “magic bullet” study explores
the possibility of bypassing the BBB by directly
implanting chemotherapy drugs into the brain
tumor using absorbable microcylinder carriers.
The carriers are tagged with a contrast agent to
make them visible on an MRI and are delivered
to the tumor using stereotactic implantation, a
minimally-invasive procedure. Once in place,
the microcylinder slowly dissolves, allowing the
medication to be delivered over a prescribed period
of time to the cancerous tissue. Not only do you
bypass the BBB this way, but you also allow for a
high dosage of chemotherapy to be successfully
delivered to the tumor without the risk of systemic
side effects.
“This study is the first attempt anywhere at using
a new image-guided platform for the treatment of
brain tumors,” Platt said. “Successful completion of
this project may establish a new paradigm that, by
extension, may one day impact treatment in man.”
If you have a patient that you feel would be a
good fit for this study, please contact neurology
resident and study team member Jill Hicks, DVM, at
jhicks30@uga.edu.
Through a minimally invasive procedure, chemotherapy drugs are implanted directly
into the brain tumor. These medicated implants, seen on MRI as black dots, release their
payload over time (left); by day five, the medication has penetrated several millimeters
away from each microcylinder carrier, as indicated by the white halo (right).
Current Clinical Trials
Below are a few of our current clinical trials. To learn more about
these and other clinical trial opportunities, visit:
www.vet.uga.edu/research/clinical/current
Dogs with elbow dysplasia
Study to evaluate the utility of MRI for characterizing articular
cartilage pathology in dogs with elbow dysplasia.
Dogs and cats with localized measurable external tumors
Study to determine the safety and potential efficacy of the AuroLase®
system for the treatment of local tumors in dogs and cats.
Dogs with arthritis of the elbow or knee
Study to evaluate the efficacy of Tramadol on pain and dysfunction.
Dogs with persistent renal proteinuria
Study to evaluate the efficacy of Telmisartan for the treatment of
proteinuria, as compared to the current standard, Enalapril.
Horses with bladder stones
Study investigating a new technique for the removal of cystic calculi
(bladder stones) in standing, sedated horses.
If you would like to help fund the “Magic Bullet” study or other CVM
initiatives, please visit: t.uga.edu/1vy
19
Ward one of four
to receive 2015
Meigs Professorship
By Kat Yancey Gilmore
Prepared. Caring. Compassionate. Respectful. Always
aware that her students and clients learn in a multitude of
ways. Never forgetting that her presentation is key to their
understanding. These are the hallmarks of Dr. Cynthia Ward’s
teaching style, and the reasons why her students say she
personifies the veterinary doctor they wish to be.
Ward is a professor of small animal internal medicine in
the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Small
Animal Medicine and Surgery. She also serves as the chief
medical officer for the Small Animal Veterinary Teaching
Hospital. She teaches First-Year Odyssey courses to UGA’s
undergraduates; veterinary students in both the classroom
and hospital setting; and she trains interns and residents
in her specialty. Board-certified as a specialist and highly
regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts in veterinary
endocrinology (her niche area of internal medicine), Ward
is also a sought-after instructor on the continuing education
circuit, and she is invited to present lectures at five to six
national meetings per year.
“Dr. Ward is able to let residents have enough freedom
to manage their cases, but also sufficient oversight to feel
guidance and back-up, a balance which is challenging to
achieve, yet she does so with grace, allowing residents to gain
confidence in their
skills and develop
as doctors,” said
... I knew at that moment
one of her graduate
Dr. Ward was, without
students.
question or hesitation,
She begins
nurturing their
confidence in
the classroom: “I
thoroughly enjoyed
for the rest of my life.
Dr. Ward’s teaching
style—not too fast,
not too slow, supplemented with actual cases, and a practical
no-nonsense approach,” noted a former DVM student.
And her impact is everlasting: “How she would affect my
life in one day in the hospital was even more significant than
what she taught me in class,” noted Dr. Carolyn Karrh, from
the Class of 2008, who recalled her first hospital encounter
with Ward: Ward and her students entered an exam room
to explain to an elderly couple that their elderly dog —their
“child”—was sick with terminal cancer. “As it was clear the
information was sinking in with the couple, Dr. Ward paused,
knelt down in front of them, and with the most compassion
I have EVER seen from ANY veterinarian in nearly 15 years,
the kind of veterinarian
I wanted to be
20
Small animal internal medicine intern Samantha Vitale, left, talks with Dr.
Cynthia Ward, center, and veterinary student Jed Darden (DVM 2016) in
the internal medicine suite at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker.
proceeded to truly connect with those people, to look them
directly in the eyes, talk about their dog, how special he was,
how sick he was and how euthanasia was a kind decision if
they were to consider it. … I knew at that moment Dr. Ward
was, without question or hesitation, the kind of veterinarian I
wanted to be for the rest of my life. Thank you, Dr. Ward.”
Evidence illuminating Ward’s ability to inspire her pupils
leads back to her earliest days as an educator at the University
of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she
earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine and her PhD.
By the time she arrived at the UGA CVM in 2005, she had
already won one Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award
(in 1999)—the highest veterinary teaching award presented
at the college level. She won her second “Norden” in 2009,
the same year she also earned the National Student American
Veterinary Medical Association’s Award for Teacher of the
Year. The DVM classes of 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014 have all
selected her as the CVM educator who most contributed to
their education in a given year.
“Her teaching load is among the highest of all the faculty
in her department, yet her students consistently remark
about her level of energy and dedication,” noted Dr. Sheila W.
Allen, dean of the College.
Each year, the University of Georgia names up to five
faculty members as Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching
Professors. Ward was one of four faculty members selected
for this honor in 2015.
FacultyNews
Maurer’s milestone
100+ undergrads and counting
By Lee Adcock
Department of Agriculture. It wasLee who suggested that
Dr. John Maurer knows how to get work done. Like his
he bring in undergraduates to help with the work. He was
peers in the CVM, Maurer used to do research with only a
skeptical.
handful of undergraduate students in his labs per semester.
“There was no way I could have a student who could
But now, with bigger and more complex projects on his plate,
come in here and basically work Monday to Friday, from 9
he brings in over a dozen—and, he has now trained more
to 5,” Maurer said. “And that would be just to do 25 isolates a
than 100 undergraduates in his labs.
“I’m no different than any of my other colleagues,” he said. week.”
But then Maurer looked at the
“But I did something that I don’t think
protocol, which had been sent by
too many of my other colleagues have
the CDC. Though the procedure
done, which is that I actually bring in
was lengthy, it was divided in to
10 to 15 undergraduate students per
steps that could be handled by
semester.”
different people. Thus, Maurer
Maurer, a professor of
decided to round up a team of
microbiology in the department
undergraduates, so that at least two
of population health who is based
students would almost always be
at the Poultry Diagnostic and
working in the lab.
Research Center, came to UGA from
To aid him in restructuring the
Indianapolis, Indiana. He went to
protocol, Maurer hired Fernanda
Purdue University to pursue genetic
Dorea (MS ’09), who had just
engineering—but in the early 1980s,
earned her master’s degree from the
the field was so new that no such major
Department of Infectious Diseases.
existed. Instead, Maurer earned his
Dorea also helped Maurer write
bachelor’s degree in microbiology and
detailed checklists and schedules to
went on to the University of Texas for a
ensure that each team of students
PhD in the same major.
followed the previous team’s work
By the time Maurer was at
as closely as possible. “One team
Washington University on a postwould leave the samples in the
doctoral fellowship in 1993, his focus
incubator and the next team would
had shifted to infectious diseases.
be there at the right time to pick
Washington University was also
them out of the incubator and start
where he met his future wife Margie
the next step,” said Dorea, who
D. Lee, DVM (MS ’88, PhD ’90),
Dr. John Maurer. Photo by Christopher B. Herron.
later earned a PhD in epidemiology
who was a post-doc fellow in the
and now works as a veterinary
same lab. After they finished their
epidemiologist at the National Veterinary Institute in Sweden.
fellowships, she went back to her teaching post at the CVM’s
“I bet the students still remember how much they hated my
medical microbiology and parasitology department (now the
checklists, though.”
Department of Infectious Diseases), while he went to teach
With the new system in place, Maurer’s undergraduate
at Duquesne University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. After
students collectively finished the project in two years.
shuttling between the two towns for months, Maurer was
offered a position in the PDRC in 1996. “I could basically
‘Jazzed up’ about research
work on whatever I wanted to work on, as long as it was
The undergraduate students who come to Maurer’s lab
related to poultry,” he said. “So, I said, ‘Sure.’” And he’s been
usually aren’t all that interested in research when they sign
teaching at PDRC ever since. Maurer and Lee are jointly
up. “My initial motivation was to gain ‘laboratory experience’
appointed to PDRC and the Department of Infectious
to beef up my application to medical school,” said Dylan
Diseases.)
Burnette, who graduated with his bachelor’s in 2000 from
Maurer has trained undergraduates since 1997—but for
the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and is now an
nearly 11 years, he only supervised one to three at a time.
assistant professor of cell and developmental biology at
Then, in 2008, he took on a project from the U.S. Centers for
Vanderbilt University. His response is typical among the many
Disease Control and Prevention to identify more than 2,300
undergraduates who passed through.
>>
Salmonella isolates, with just a small grant from the U.S.
21
Maurer continued
Maurer doesn’t mind that most undergraduates take his lab just to cross
an item off their to-do list. However, while many commit to the pre-med track,
others get hooked on research.
Burnette first came to the lab for a summer research program in 1998. When
he stayed on for the fall semester, Maurer suggested that Burnette present his
work at a local American Society for Microbiology meeting, “He got jazzed
up about it,” Maurer said. In fact, Burnette won an award for giving the best
presentation.
Later on, as the undergraduate was working on a polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) in the lab, he wondered if he could pursue research as a career. “For the
short term, I decided that I would continue to do research as long as I kept
getting paid,” Burnette said. “I have not had to reassess that decision.”
Ricky Zoller, who came to UGA in 2004, also thought he wanted to be a
medical doctor when he signed up for Maurer’s lab. But after a brief stint in
medical school, he realized that he’d rather go back to research. “Without Dr.
Maurer’s guidance and expertise in research, I might be hating my life in a
residency somewhere,” said Zoller, who earned both his undergraduate degree
(2008) and his master’s of science (2013) from the Franklin College of Arts and
Sciences. He now works at UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center in a
start-up LLC, Nitrogen Genetics.
Chris Cornelison didn’t even know what career he wanted when he came to
UGA. But he did know that he wanted to switch from chemistry to biology, and
his friends pointed him toward Dr. Maurer in 2008. Soon Cornelison was set to
work on a big commercial salmonella project—and after turning in solid results,
Maurer allowed him to dig deeper into a project of his own.
“Maurer thought I had a good attitude/drive for research and should consider
pursuing it as a career,” said Cornelison. “I had never considered myself talented
enough, but the fact that he did gave me confidence.” Cornelison earned his
bachelor’s degree from the Franklin College in 2009 and is now a postdoctoral
research associate and adjunct professor at Georgia State University.
The biggest take-away
Maurer’s teaching hasn’t differed much over the years. He continues to divide
research protocol into a series of techniques. Each student in the lab learns one
step in that process—and, under Maurer’s guidance, they learn to do it well.
“The biggest take-away I got from my time in Dr. Maurer’s lab was how to be
thorough,” Zoller said.
Maurer delights in watching his undergraduates master complicated
protocol. Whenever possible, he grants every student the chance to show off their
skills. Old-timers in the lab introduce newcomers to the protocol. Students, like
Burnette, are brought to local research conventions to present their work. And
when Maurer meets with a research team to discuss how a project is coming
along, he lets the students explain what they’re doing and justify their methods.
“I’ve had some colleagues tell me that, ‘Oh, you can’t get undergraduate
students to run PCRs,’ ” said Maurer. “Well, yeah you can, and I have.”
Cornelison admired Maurer’s distinctly hands-off teaching. “He knew when
to help the students and when to let us struggle and learn for ourselves,” he said.
“He always made himself available if we needed help, but did not stand over your
shoulder making you feel nervous.”
“He was stern at times,” said Zoller. “But that’s how he created great
researchers and ensured that their work was only their best and nothing shy of
that.”
Likewise, Maurer believes that he’s done some of his best teaching with
undergraduates. “It gives me the opportunity to give them experience, and to
teach them good lab practices and habits,” he said.
22
New Faculty
Sheba MohanKumar, BVSc,
MS, PhD, associate professor
of neuroscience, Department
of Veterinary Biosciences &
Diagnostic Imaging.
Krzysztof Czaja, DVM,
PhD, associate professor of
neuroanatomy, Department
of Veterinary Biosciences &
Diagnostic Imaging.
Ian Hawkins, DVM, DACVP,
assistant professor of pathology,
Department of Pathology, based at
the Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic
and Investigational Laboratory.
Michael Trent, PhD, the UGA
Foundation Distinguished
Professor of Infectious Diseases,
Department of Infectious Diseases.
Ted M. Ross, PhD, the Georgia
Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
in Infectious Diseases, Department
of Infectious Diseases. (See story on
page 8.)
Daniel R. Pérez, PhD, the Georgia
Research Alliance Distinguished
Investigator and Caswell Eidson
Chair in Poultry Medicine. (See
story on page 8.)
get your own
AnAtomic Dog!
For details, call our
Office for Veterinary
External Affairs
706.542.1807
FacultyNews
Dr. Carmichael receives 2015 Iverson Bell Award
out to elementary school students under-represented in
veterinary medicine across the state of Georgia, telling them
of the wide variety of paths a career in veterinary medicine.
“Dr. Carmichael’s efforts in promoting diversity in the
College of Veterinary Medicine and in our
profession are extraordinary,” said Dr. Sheila
Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary
Medicine. “The impact of her work will be
long-lasting, and we are so pleased that it is
being recognized with this award.”
The award was presented to Carmichael
at AAVMC’s 2015 Annual Conference, held
March 13-15 in Washington, D.C. The Iverson
Bell Award is presented every other year to
a member of AAVMC’s academic veterinary
community in recognition of outstanding
leadership and the promotion of diversity in
veterinary education. Carmichael is the 14th
veterinary educator to receive the Iverson Bell
Award.
Carmichael graduated from the Tuskegee
University School of Veterinary Medicine in
1987 and earned her PhD, conferred in 1993, at the University
of Georgia. She is board-certified by the American College of
Veterinary Pathologists.
She joined the faculty of the UGA CVM in 1993 as an
instructor and was hired as a tenure track assistant professor
in 1994. In 2006, she was the first African American to
be awarded the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching
Professorship, which is the highest teaching honor bestowed
by the University of Georgia upon its educators. In 2014,
Carmichael was selected by the Tuskegee University SVM to
receive their Distinguished Alumna Award.
Dr. K. Paige Carmichael, a professor of veterinary
pathology and the former associate dean for academic affairs
at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, has been chosen
as the recipient of the 2015 Iverson Bell Award, given by the
Association of American Veterinary
Medical Colleges.
“I am shocked, delighted and
humbled all at the same time,” said
Carmichael. “I stand on the shoulders of
many others who have paved the path
that I have been lucky enough to walk. I
hope to do the same for others.”
During her eight years as the CVM’s
associate dean for academic affairs,
Carmichael authored or co-authored
multiple successful grants to address the
recruitment of under-represented groups
to veterinary medicine and to support
their careers. She also created the CVM’s
popular VetCAMP—or Veterinary
Career Aptitude and Mentoring Program Dr. K. Paige Carmichael
—which aims to recruit young underrepresented minority students with an aptitude for science,
technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition,
Carmichael mentors students and early career faculty,
facilitates in the development of student diversity groups,
and often speaks on minority opportunities in veterinary
medicine.
While still an assistant professor for the College, she
originated the “Dog Doctors” Outreach Program. This
project, initially funded by a competitive grant through the
Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach,
and then by the College of Veterinary Medicine, reached
Briefs
Gary Baxter, VMD, (MS ’88), DACVS, is now the
associate dean for clinical services, overseeing the Veterinary
Medical Center, which includes the Veterinary Teaching
Hospital and the Veterinary Education Center.
Erik Hofmeister, DVM, DACVAA, DECVAA, MA
(Anesthesia), received the 2015 CURO Research Mentoring
Award, which recognizes outstanding faculty who consistently
engage undergraduates through CURO courses, symposia,
fellowships, etc. Two awards are granted each year. Dr.
Hofmeister is an associate professor of anesthesiology and
section chief for the Veterinary Teaching Hospital areas of
small animal surgery and anesthesia.
Corrie Brown, DVM, PhD, DACVP, a professor of
anatomic pathology, received the National Excellence in
Teaching Award from the Student American Veterinary
Medical Association.
John R. Fischer, DVM, PhD, director of the Southeastern
Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, received the Tom Thorne
and Beth Williams Memorial Award from the Wildlife
Disease Association and the American Association of Wildlife
Veterinarians.
Kathryn A. Seabaugh, DVM, DACVS, DACVSMR,
became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary
Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation this winter. Dr. Seabaugh
joined the UGA VTH in 2013 and is an assistant professor of
equine ambulatory and sports medicine.
23
FacultyNews
FacultyNews
Shiyou Chen, DVM, PhD, a professor of physiology and pharmacology, was
one of five professors at UGA to receive a Creative Research Medal for 2015
from the UGA Research Foundation. Dr. Chen has developed two powerful
cell model systems. One allows scientists to identify the fundamental
regulatory mechanisms governing the different functional properties of
vascular smooth muscle cells and how diversity in these cells may contribute
to the onset of cardiovascular diseases. His other works have identified several
molecular targets useful for the development of new drug-eluting stents,
which are coated with medicine that prevents scar tissue from growing into
the artery. Dr. Chen’s discoveries are beneficial to the development of new
drugs to regulate the proliferation of smooth muscle and endothelial cells,
and could lead to new coatings on stents that reduce blood clot risk.
Faculty and Service Awards presented on
Phi Zeta Day
The Charles Dobbins Award for Excellence in Service was awarded to
John Fischer, DVM, PhD, a professor of wildlife diseases and director of the
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. Dr. Fischer was selected for
his outstanding leadership of SCWDS since 2000 and for his overall service
to the wildlife community. SCWDS assists 18 states and federal agencies,
including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Geological
Survey, with wildlife disease identification, management and surveillance.
Dr. Fischer’s service to the community includes serving as chair of the U.S.
Animal Health Association (USAHA) Committee on Wildlife Diseases, from
2004 to 2009, and serving on the Board of Directors of the Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies since 1999. In addition, SCWDS publishes a quarterly
newsletter that currently has more than 2,000 subscribers in the wildlife
community.
Biao He, PhD, received the Zoetis Award for Excellence in Research. Dr.
He is a professor of infectious diseases who collaborates with many faculty
members throughout the College to develop and test vaccine therapeutics.
He has published nearly 25 scientific papers, multiple in prestigious journals,
since his arrival at the CVM in 2009. “Dr. He’s work is at the forefront of viral
research and is expanding into vaccine development for a number of human,
animal and zoonotic viral and non-viral pathogens,” said his department
head, Fred D. Quinn, PhD, of the department of infectious diseases, in a
letter of nomination. “I consider him to be an outstanding teacher, researcher,
scholar and colleague. He is very knowledgeable and skilled in molecular
biology, virology and vaccine development. As such, he is in a unique position
to productively explore the areas where these fields overlap and contribute in
a very meaningful way to the rapidly expanding vaccine development group
in the CVM.”
The Clinical Research Award was presented to Amanda Erickson Coleman,
DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), an assistant professor of cardiology in the
department of small animal medicine and surgery. Her research focuses on
pharmacologic interventions targeting the renin-antiotensin-aldosterone
system, which regulates blood pressure and fluid balance, in dogs, cats and
horses. “These are chronic conditions that affect many companion animals,
and treatment with current drugs is imperfect,” noted her department
head, Spencer A. Johnston, VMD, DACVS, in a letter of nomination. “By
identifying better agents for therapy, the quality of life of companion animals
and their owners can be improved.”
24
Dr. Shiyou Chen.
Photo by Paul Efland.
Dr. John Fischer, right, receives his award
from Dr. Mark Jackwood, left, head of the
Department of Population Health.
Photo by Sue Myers Smith.
Dr. Amanda Erickson Coleman, center,
receives her award from Dr. Harry Dickerson,
right, the CVM’s associate dean for research
and graduate affairs, and Dr. Harvey L.
Crumm, left, the academic liaison for Zoetis,
which sponsored the award.
Photo by Sue Myers Smith.
FacultyNews
The Outstanding Hospital Service Award was presented to
Ira Roth, (DVM ’86), a clinical assistant professor and director
of the UGA Community Practice Clinic. “Dr. Roth’s enjoyment
of his job is obvious in the gentle and affectionate way in which
he interacts with his patients,” noted one of many nominators.
“Time and again, aggressive or nervous animals calm down in
his presence and animals that have been too nervous to even
accept treats from other staff members will readily respond to
him. Clients are similarly charmed by his friendly personality
and many clients remark that they make return trips to the
Community Practice Clinic specifically because they appreciate
his interest in them as clients and the care that he gives their pets.”
Brian Jordan, (PhD ’12), received the John M. Bowen Award
for Excellence in Animal/Biomedical Research. Dr. Jordan is
an assistant professor in the departments of population health
and poultry sciences in the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine
and Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, respectively.
Jordan joined the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center
upon completion of his PhD. In a mere three years, he has built
a solid and productive research program, supported by more
than $480,000 in extramural funding, and authored or coauthored seven peer-reviewed journal articles. In addition, he has
published 16 abstracts at national and international meetings. His
research focuses on bridging the gap between the poultry house
environment and infectious diseases. Thus far, he has been highly
successful in gaining funding to support research in the key areas
of understanding and control of avian coronavirus infectious
bronchitis, and in determining that coronaviruses are not as
prevalent in wild birds in the United States as they are in other
parts of the world.
Dr. Melinda Camus receives her award from Dr.
Keith Harris, head of the department of pathology.
Photo by Sue Muyers Smith.
Highlights from
2015 Honors and Awards
The awards listed below were bestowed upon members
of our faculty during the 2015 Honors and Awards
Banquet, held in April.
Kevin Clarke, DVM,
DACVS, a clinical
associate professor
of orthopedics in the
department of small
animal medicine and
surgery, received the 2015
Zoetis Distinguished
Veterinary Teacher
Award. Dr. Clarke
also received a Faculty
Recognition Award from
the Class of 2015.
Dr. Kevin Clarke
The Outstanding Laboratory Service Award was presented to
Melinda Camus, DVM, DACVP, an assistant professor of clinical
pathology who helped ensure that the clinical pathology service
remained fully functional during an intense 14-week period
when she was the only faculty member on the service. Dr. Camus
single-handedly oversaw the service while also teaching senior
students every morning during rotations. She routinely worked 10
or more hours per day, seven days per week. “She has a character
that just takes every problem as it comes, and finds an answer that
is palatable to all,” said Keith Harris, DVM, DACVP, who heads
the department of pathology. “Even with her frenetic schedule,
her demeanor never changed.” Dr. Camus also received the
David Tyler Award for Advances in Teaching for implementing
new teaching techniques for microscopy in VPAT 5250. She
organized the digitization of more than 200 hematologic and
cytologic samples, and worked with technical staff at Leica® and
the IT support staff at the CVM to put the slides in an electronic
cloud that could be accessed by the students on their electronic
devices. The change enhanced the learning experiences of the
students, and also lowered the costs of teaching the course. Dr.
Camus has an innate interest in teaching and has published a
manuscript regarding students’ perceptions of online discussion
forums in the college classroom. She recently submitted a followup study to another journal in veterinary education.
Other Faculty Recognition Awards went to:
Mary Hondalus, DVM, PhD, an associate
professor of infectious diseases; chosen by the
Class of 2018.
Melinda Camus, DVM, DACVP, an assistant
professor of clinical pathology; chosen by the
Class of 2017.
Amanda Erickson Coleman, DVM, DACVIM
(Cardiology), an assistant professor of cardiology;
chosen by the Class of 2016.
Faculty Recognition Awards are presented to the faculty
member the class feels has most contributed to its
education during the last academic year.
25
AlumniNews
Alumni Association
Members of the Executive
Board
Chad Schmiedt (DVM ’00)
cws@uga.edu
President
Flynn Nance (DVM ’83)
dawgvet83@comcast.net
Immediate Past President
Marian Shuler Holladay (DVM ’01)
shulervet05@yahoo.com
President-Elect
Doris Miller (DVM ’76)
miller@uga.edu
Secretary-Treasurer
Eddie Crittendon Jr. (DVM ’91)
pawprintsdoc@bellsouth.net
Rebecca Dixon (DVM ’02)
rstinson@carolinaequinehospital.com
Karen Duncan (DVM ’84)
karen.duncan@sp.intervet.com
Jamie Fleming (DVM ’05)
jmfleming8@gmail.com
Bradley Heins (DVM ’11, MFAM ’12)
bheins.dvm@gmail.com
Alan Herring (DVM ’85)
dairydoc@gmail.com
Pat Hill (DVM ’84)
patmack@earthlink.net
Brett Levitzke (DVM ’00)
blevitzke@verg-brooklyn.com
Jennifer Proctor (DVM ’96)
drproctor96@gmail.com
Greg Winter (DVM ’91)
gswdvm@aol.com
Greetings from your Alumni Association!
H ello UGA Alumni!
I was delighted for the
opportunity to visit with so many
of you during our 52nd Annual
Veterinary Conference and
Alumni Weekend! It was both a
humbling and proud moment
for me to present the 2015
Distinguished Alumni Awards
to Claude Kidd Jr. (DVM ’64),
Sam Adams Jr. (DVM ’73) and
Patricia Hill (DVM ’84)! If you
were unable to join us, you can
read more about these deserving
alumni and their contributions to Dr. Chad Schmiedt, DVM, DACVS.
our profession in this section of the Photo by Carolyn Crist.
Aesculapian.
Please consider nominating one of your colleagues for the 2016 Distinguished
Alumni Awards or for the Young Achiever Award! You’ll find a nomination form
and criteria in this issue of the magazine, for your convenience. We need your
nominations by Oct. 16!
During our spring Alumni Board meeting, we discussed ideas about
incorporating more recent graduates into our active ranks and exploring ways our
Association can help these members as they move through school and into practice.
We also welcomed new members to the board: Bradley Hines (DVM ’11,
MFAM ’12), Jennifer Proctor (DVM ’96), Greg Winter (DVM ’91), and Michael
Zager (DVM ’79)! Our outgoing board members, to whom we are grateful for their
service, are: Jon Anderson (DVM ’03), Thomas Hutto (DVM ’85), Ginger Macaulay
(DVM ’84), Bill Seanor (DVM ’83), and Catherine McClelland (DVM ’83).
Also this spring, I had the pleasure of attending a barbeque dinner with the
South Carolina UGA Alumni in Spartanburg. Thank you, to Scott Bryant (DVM
’94) and his wife Jules, for hosting us!
If you would like to host a CVM alumni gathering in your area, please let us
know so we can help and participate. Contact our alumni director, Marti Brick, for
more information.
Remember, all graduates of the UGA CVM are automatically members of the
Alumni Association and we do not collect dues. We hope you will join us for one of
our alumni gatherings and get involved with the Association. Please contact Marti
Brick, our director of alumni relations, at 706.542.7049 or vetalums@uga.edu, for
more details.
Go Dawgs!
Michael Zager (DVM ’79)
cmzager30540@gmail.com
Sheila Allen
sallen01@uga.edu
Dean, Ex-officio
26
Sincerely,
Chad Schmiedt
DVM (’00), DACVS
President
e
in
Co
l
eterinary M
of V
ed
ge
ic
le
Send In Your Nominations Today!
Award nominations due by October 16, 2015
TH
EU
NIV
E R SIT Y O F G E
OR
GI
®
A
Name of Nominee
Help us identify members of our alumni community who should be recognized for
their contributions to our profession!
Send us your nominations for the Alumni Association’s “Young Achiever Award” and its
highest honor, the “Distinguished Alumnus Award.” In two pages or less, describe your
nominee’s contributions in one or more of the following areas:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
My nominee for the 2016 (circle one)
Distinguished Alumnus / Young Achiever Award
Animal and human health-related public service
Contributions to the local community, state, or nation
Professional service
Involvement in veterinary educational research and/or service
Involvement in veterinary associations at the local, state, or national level
Contributions to the College’s Alumni Association
Young Achiever nominees must come from the classes of 2005, 2006 or 2007
Address of Nominee
Phone number
So we can inform you on your nominee’s status
Your name
Your mailing address
Your email
Your phone number
Send the completed form and include background information such as CV and a letter
explaining their accomplishments. You may nominate more than one person. Additional
forms are available on our website at vet.uga.edu/alumni /awards
Questions?
Phone: 706.542.7049 • Fax: 706.583.0242 • E-mail: vetalums@uga.edu
Please send this form and background information to:
Director of Alumni Relations
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine
Athens, GA 30602-7371
Nominations without background information
will not be considered.
Hawaii DAWG-O
08.01.15 @ 7 p.m.
The Georgia Theatre
Don’t miss the fun!
More information:
770.483.7225
dawgvet83@comcast.net
27
Dr. Michael Yabsley holds a coyote captured
during a field course. As part of their fieldwork,
Dr. Yabsley and his students collected biological
samples for disease surveillance and put a radiotracking collar on the coyote prior to releasing
it back into the wild. Photo provided by Michael
Yabsley.
28
AlumniNews
Wild about Parasites!
A noted parasitologist and SCWDS
attracted Yabsley to UGA
Interview By Lee Adcock
Michael J. Yabsley, MS, PhD (’04), FRES, is an associate
professor of wildlife diseases jointly appointed to the UGA
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the
CVM’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, or
“SCWDS.” He earned his PhD in medical microbiology and
parasitology, and became a member of the faculty in 2006.
In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Entomological
Society of London. We talked to him about why he came to
UGA to study, and what he loves about wildlife, parasites and
teaching.
Where are you from?
I’m from near Columbia, South Carolina. I did my
undergraduate work at Clemson University in biology and
stayed on to do a master’s degree in parasitology, with a
minor in wildlife biology. I left there and wanted to work
in wildlife and infectious diseases. So, I came to UGA to do
my PhD under Randy Davidson, (MS ’74, PhD ’75). He was
my predecessor, so he was in the same split (Warnell/CVM)
position before he retired, and he was here at SCWDS.
What got you interested in parasitology?
I love parasites. Practically every animal has them and
some parasites can be important to the health of their hosts.
Most amazing is that these parasites can alter the behavior
of their hosts and many have really complex life cycles. One
has to admire the ability of these organisms to successfully
complete transmission. For example: There are parasites that
live in the intestine of a terrestrial animal; their eggs come
out, and in order to develop, the eggs have to land in water
to develop in an aquatic snail. After development, these
parasites exit the snail and must find a fish to live in while
they develop to their next stage of life. Then, this fish must
get eaten by a terrestrial host for completion of the parasites’
life cycle. So, there are all of these steps by which parasites
would lose the ability to complete their life cycle, but they
obviously complete it anyway, and quite well.
Although I do love parasites, I am a generalist, so I work
with a lot of wildlife diseases. I work on viruses and bacteria
as well. Anything that has the potential to cause disease
piques my curiosity.
Tell us about the intersection of parasitology and wildlife.
A lot of the parasites or pathogens that I study infect
wildlife, food animals, domestic animals and people, so
parasitology is important across all of those groups. Often
when I study parasites in wildlife, I am focused on the role
that wildlife plays in the ecology of that pathogen and how
that role may be important to the health of domestic animals
or people.
That’s what the One Health initiative is all about.
Most everything I do falls under the umbrella of
“One Health,” because we’re looking at pathogens and
wildlife, domestic animals, food animals, people, and most
importantly, the environment. What is the role of habitat
change and climate change and all those environmental
factors that may influence the transmission of those
pathogens among all those other groups?
Why did you choose to study at the UGA CVM?
I came here specifically to work with Dr. Randy
Davidson. He had a funded project that was looking at ticks
and tick-borne pathogens in deer, and Dr. Davidson had
been doing parasitology for 30 years—he’s a big name in the
field. It was really exciting for me to be able to come here and
work with him. Also, SCWDS has been around since 1957,
and they’re a very important group of researchers who have
been working with wildlife disease, so to able to come here
and work with those folks was also very intriguing.
When did you get involved with SCWDS?
I started here in 2000 as a graduate student. After I
finished my graduate work, I stayed on as an assistant
research scientist, which is a non-tenure track faculty
position, until early 2006, when I started in my current split
position. So I’ve gone nowhere—my office has been in nearly
the same spot ever since I was a graduate student!
What does SCWDS do in general, and what is your role?
There are two major arms of SCWDS: One is the
diagnostic service. SCWDS contracts with various state and
federal wildlife agencies to conduct mortality investigations
and perform diagnostics that occur within their area of
authority. For example, if you find a dead raccoon or a dead
bird, those remains can be sent to us to figure out why it
died. We have a team of diagnosticians who receive those
remains and do complete necropsies on them. I’m only
peripherally involved in that service. I serve as the diagnostic
parasitologist, so if any case comes in and it looks like it has
a parasitology issue, I may be asked to examine and identify
the parasites. Sometimes the diagnosticians don’t necessarily
see parasites during a necropsy, but they may see them on the
histology slides, so they’ll ask me to identify the parasites. My
group also does a great deal of molecular assays to identify
pathogens in wild animals.
>>
29
Wild continued
The second major arm of SCWDS is research. Many
SCWDS faculty members do field and bench research on a
variety of different wildlife disease issues, and all of us have
students involved in research as well. This is my primary
role at SCWDS—I mentor undergraduate, graduate and
veterinary students who conduct research on a variety of
wildlife health issues.
You were recently elected to the Companion Animal Parasite
Council Board (www.capcvet.org). What is that?
This group aims to promote animal and human health
through generating and disseminating information on the
diagnosis, treatment and control of parasites. Currently
there are 16 members on the board and together we
work to provide expert information to the general public,
veterinarians and pharmaceutical companies. About half the
group is made up of academic parasitologists and the other
half is made up of veterinarians in private practice. Although
the group is mostly concerned about dogs and cats, and
to a lesser degree horses and other companion animals—
including some exotic animals—many of these parasites also
infect wildlife and some can infect people.
An example of what we do is to develop prevalence maps
of the most common parasitic disease issues. We release
forecasts, based on weather from the previous months,
including when we expect to start seeing transmission of
parasites in a given area, so that veterinarians can discuss
things like heartworm preventatives with their clients to
make sure that there’s no gap in heartworm prevention. We
also do a good bit of continuing education for veterinarians
and other professionals to give them the latest information
on parasites. This may be in the form of oral presentations
at various conferences or as articles on different parasites.
Importantly, these articles are also on our companion website
(www.petsandparasites.org) that is focused on pet owners.
We also have a Facebook presence and a Twitter account to
keep people up to speed on new things that are coming out.
Recently, there has been a lot of focus on ticks and tickborne pathogens. That’s why I was brought on to join the
board. They want to get more into modeling and forecasting
where and when tick-borne pathogens are going to be a
problem for dogs and cats.
How did your education prepare you for what you’re doing
now?
I worked at SCWDS looking at wildlife disease issues,
and that’s all I did for the four years that I was here as a
graduate student. I did a little bit of work for my specific
PhD project, which was ticks and tick-borne pathogens, but
luckily for me, I was able to get some funding and grants that
allowed me to look at other disease issues at the same time.
These “extra” data provided me the preliminary data to obtain
my first National Institutes of Health grant that allowed me
to enter my first day as faculty with three graduate students
already on board.
As a student, I was in the old department of medical
microbiology and parasitology, which now focuses very
30
broadly on bacteriology, virology, parasitology as well as
other infectious disease topics. Coming in with a master’s
that focused on parasitology allowed me to branch out and
take several of the wildlife and wildlife disease classes offered
at Warnell, which also set me up quite nicely for a split
position between SCWDS and Warnell.
What accomplishment at this point are you most proud of,
and why?
In 2012, I was honored to receive the CURO Research
Mentoring Award from the UGA Center for Undergraduate
Research Opportunities.
What I enjoy most about my job is getting to work
with students. My job offers me great flexibility to bring
in students and work with them on a one-on-one basis. I
have students coming in from a diverse set of programs,
including high school students who want to work in the
science, technology, engineering and math fields. I’m part
of a National Science Foundation-sponsored “Research
Experience for Undergraduates” program, administered
through the UGA Odum School of Ecology, which looks
at the ecology of infectious diseases. I also frequently
participate in the Georgia Veterinary Scholars Program,
which gives summer research opportunities to veterinary
students interested in a career in biomedical research.
The majority of my students who enter the lab come from
Warnell to conduct research for their senior thesis, but I
also have students from other departments, such as biology,
ecology, animal science and entomology. It is exciting to
work with students from a diverse set of backgrounds. Some
want to go to medical school, some to veterinary school, and
others to graduate school, so we work hard to help them get
hands-on experience.
In addition, I have graduate students in the lab. Some of
them work on degrees through the CVM and are interested
in infectious diseases or population health. The remainder
of my graduate students come from Warnell, and look at
organisms and their hosts with more of an emphasis on
wildlife population management. So it’s a very broad group
of students. We get to talk about how the veterinarians
are important, how wildlife management specialists are
important, how the medical doctors are important, and we all
work together and we get to learn about these disease issues.
For More Information
SCWDS: vet.uga.edu/scwds
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources:
www.warnell.uga.edu
UGA CVM Graduate Degrees: vet.uga.edu/graduate
Companion Animal Parasite Council:
www.capcvet.org for veterinarians
www.petsandparasites.org for pet owners
Alumni Association recognizes
three colleagues at Annual Conference
Story by Kat Yancey Gilmore
Photos by Sue Myers Smith
The Alumni Association of the College of Veterinary
Medicine recognized three colleagues with distinguished
alumni awards during the 52nd Annual Veterinary
Conference and Alumni Weekend, held in March in Athens.
The association recognizes alumni contributions to
animal and human health-related public service; involvement
in the local community, state or nation, veterinary educational
research and/or service to veterinary associations at various
levels; contributions to the college’s alumni association; and
professional service.
Nominations for the 2016 awards must be submitted by
Oct. 16. For more information, please see the nomination
form on page 27.
Distinguished Alumni for 2015
Claude S. Kidd Jr. (DVM ’64), of
board, including 11 years as president
Greensboro, N.C., has steadfastly served the
of its Board of Trustees. (He is a Life
animals and citizens of his hometown for 51
Member of the Board of Trustees.) The
years.
policies and organizational structure that
By the time he was accepted into the
he helped establish enabled the Center to
Class of 1964, Dr. Kidd had already served
grow its collection of animals, establish a
his country for two years as a medic in
partnership with the city of Greensboro
the U.S. Army. Upon his graduation from
that exists to this day, and helped propel the
UGA, he headed home and took jobs at two
Center’s reputation to its current status as
practices that would play significant roles
one of the top science/education centers in
in his future: Carolina Veterinary Hospital
the Southeast.
and Lawndale Veterinary Hospital.
And despite his heavy involvement
About six months later, he became a
in the Center, Dr. Kidd remained an
partner in Lawndale. And not long after
avid private practitioner. After leaving
that, Dr. Kidd accompanied his business
Lawndale in 1973, he launched Church
partner to the Natural Science Center,
Street Veterinary Hospital, which he owned
which then owned a few animals requiring
for about 15 years. After that, he came full
veterinary care. Dr. Kidd’s first visit to the
circle and purchased Carolina Veterinary
Center led to a life-long commitment to
Hospital, which he owned until recently
Dr. Claude S. Kidd Jr.
what is now known as the Greensboro
and where he still sees patients today.
Science Center, which comprises an aquarium, a museum and
In his spare time, Dr. Kidd still enjoys doing what he
a zoo. Dr. Kidd is largely responsible for turning this Center
has always enjoyed doing: fishing, hunting, breeding and
into a success story.
raising bird dogs, and participating in field trial hunting
For well over 25 years, he oversaw the care of the
competitions.>>
Center’s live zoo animals. He also served on the Center’s
31
AlumniNews
AlumniNews
Distinguished continued
Samuel R. Adams Jr. (DVM ’73),
of Buford, Ga., earned both a bachelor’s
degree in animal science (1963) and
a master’s of science in reproductive
physiology (1965) from UGA, then
landed a job as an animal scientist
working for the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. In 1969, he
left his post to earn his third degree
from UGA—his doctorate of veterinary
medicine.
In 1973, Dr. Adams graduated cum
laude from the CVM and returned
to the CDC as chief of its Animal
Resources Branch for the Lawrenceville
and Atlanta offices. He left the CDC
in 1992, as its assistant director for
veterinary programs, to become a
Dr. Samuel R. Adams Jr.
professor and director of the Division
of Comparative Medicine for the State University of New York
Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. He remained
at SUNY until his retirement in 2014, and he was named a
professor emeritus in 2013. During his two decades in New
York, he also worked as a consultant and helped improve lab
animal programs at multiple research institutions in the area.
In the 1970s, Adams became the first American
laboratory animal veterinary consultant to visit China.
The relationships he developed helped lead
to China’s establishment of its first Primate
Center, and also to the importation of primates
from China to the U.S. His contributions to
the CDC earned him the U.S. Public Health
Commendation Medal, in 1980, and the U.S.
Public Health Service Unit Commendation, in
1989.
He was board-certified by the American
College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in
1982, and has a lengthy history of service to
ACLAM. He served on its exam committee,
as well as its board of directors, including as
president of the organization. He helped launch
the ACLAM Foundation, and served six years
on its board. In 2014, ACLAM rewarded his
service to the organization and to the profession
by presenting him the Nathan R. Brewer Career
Achievement Award.
Dr. Adams has also served as president of the
Southeastern Branch of the American Association of
Laboratory Animal Science; president of the Association
of Primate Veterinarians; and two terms as president of the
Alumni Association of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Patricia W. Hill (DVM ’84), of
Simpsonville, S.C., has served in every
executive position of the South Carolina
Association of Veterinarians—from
secretary all the way up to president,
and beyond. Under her leadership, the
organization has been working with the
state legislature to pass a law to more
clearly define the health-related services
that non-profit organizations can
provide to animals.
Dr. Hill has long been an advocate
for animal welfare within her state.
In her post-presidency service to
SCAV, she has been working to create
a foundation to promote animal
welfare and the human-animalveterinary bond in South Carolina.
She has also served as president of
Dr. Patricia W. Hill
both the Greater Greenville Veterinary
Medical Association and the Blue Ridge Veterinary Medical
Association.
For a decade, beginning in 1998, she served on the
board of the Animal Emergency Clinic of Greenville. During
her time on the Animal Emergency Clinic
board, she was heavily involved in two facility
relocations; she also assisted the organization
in negotiations that led to the first specialty
practice in upstate South Carolina, called
Upstate Veterinary Specialists.
Dr. Hill has also helped ensure that students
who want to become veterinary technicians
have access to accredited programs within
her state. Through her position on the AVMA
Accreditation Committee, Dr. Hill helped
evaluate and accredit veterinary technician
programs at two colleges: Tri County Technical
College, in Pendleton, and Piedmont Technical
College, in Newberry.
Through the midst of all of these volunteer
efforts, Dr. Hill owned and operated her
own successful practice (originally known as
Fairview Pointe Animal Hospital and later as
Hillcrest Animal Hospital). For 23 years, she
was the sole owner of this small animal and exotic general
practice, and she worked with one associate.
In addition, she currently serves on the board of the
Alumni Association of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
32
Photo provided by Dr. Gogal
Karen Cornell, DVM, PhD, DACVS, the associate dean for academic affairs
for the CVM and a professor of small animal soft-tissue surgery, received this year’s
A. M. Mills Award from Alpha Psi’s Lambda Chapter.
“No one has done more for the students than Dr. Cornell,” the Chapter
said in a statement about her selection for the award. “Her reach extends from
communications, to general surgery, some clinical rotations, and now she is
fighting for students as the associate dean (for academic affairs). She has already
done countless things to improve the curriculum and really the overall experience
for students. She is an outstanding doctor, great teacher, amazing mentor, and truly
wants us to succeed. She represents everything this award stands for and we truly
believe she would be extremely thankful to receive this recognition.”
Dr. Cornell joined the UGA CVM in 1998 as an assistant professor of softtissue surgery and by 2010 had earned the rank of a tenured professor. Through
the years, she has served the College on multiple committees and in multiple
significant leadership roles, including as director of continuing education, from
2014 to 2015, and as interim director of the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital,
from 2009 to 2010. She became the CVM’s associate dean for academic affairs on
Jan. 1.
She is a two-time recipient of the Pfizer-Norden Teaching award and in 2011
was named a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor. She has published at
least 27 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored multiple chapters
for veterinary textbooks, and co-edited the textbook Effective Communication
in Veterinary Practice (published by Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small
Animal Practice, 2007).
Dr. Cornell earned both her DVM and PhD from Purdue University School of
Veterinary Medicine. She is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary
Surgeons.
Dr. Robert Gogal Jr.
Dr. Karen Cornell
Cornell, Gogal recognized by Alpha Psi and OTS
Robert M. Gogal Jr., DVM, a professor of immunology and
immunotoxicology in the CVM’s Department of Veterinary Biosciences &
Diagnostic Imaging, was this year’s recipient of the Dr. Fred C. Davison Award
from Omega Tau Sigma’s Eta Chapter.
Members of OTS’s Eta Chapter selected Dr. Gogal for his devoted service to
the students, as well as for the example he sets for them. He is very dedicated in
helping first-year students succeed at UGA, and accomplishes this, in part, by
spending time getting to know them individually and being willing to meet with
them outside of class time as often as needed. In addition, he regularly attends OTS
functions to get to know his students on both a personal and professional level. The
chapter is also grateful for his donation of a television to the fraternity house.
Dr. Gogal also sets an example for the students by keeping balance in his life.
He likes building skeletons for the CVM, working with wood, “Mac” computers
and is an avid model train collector and operator. He loves all animals (except
snakes), tolerates the family cat and dotes over his three Collies. He is a very
devoted father to his two sons, and a loving husband to his wife of more than 31
years.
An expert in ecotoxicology, environmental immunotoxicology and
autoimmunity, Dr. Gogal teaches courses in cell biology, veterinary immunology,
toxicology, organ system toxicology, developmental and reproductive toxicology
and is also responsible for the live animal palpation component in the small and
large animal veterinary anatomy courses. He has published more than 83 peerreviewed scientific articles and is associate editor for four journals.
Dr. Gogal obtained his degree from the Virginia-Maryland College of
Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Va.
33
AlumniNews
Dale E. Bjorling, DVM, (MS ’82), DACVS, will colead the George O’Brien Center, which is being created
at the University of Wisconsin—Madison School
of Veterinary Medicine with the goal of enhancing
diagnosis and treatment of benign urological disease in
men. Dr. Bjorling is the associate dean for research at
the UW SVM.
Bruce Williams, (DVM ‘85), DACVP was recently
named CEO of the Charles Louis Davis, DVM
Foundation for the Advancement of Veterinary
and Comparative Pathology. Dr. Williams has been
president of the Foundation since 1998 and over the last
two decades has been a featured lecturer and director of
more than 40 pathology courses on six continents. He
currently works as the senior veterinary pathologist at
the Joint Pathology Center (formerly the Armed Forces
Institute of Pathology) in Silver Spring, Md.
Matthew Booth, (DVM ’97), was named “volunteer
of the month” for February by American Whitewater,
a non-profit organization that works to conserve and
restore whitewater resources in the United States. Dr.
Booth was recognized for his efforts to give a stronger
voice to the organization and the communities in
Lyons, Longmont and Boulder counties, in Colorado,
with regards to flood recovery and master planning
efforts following the devastating floods that impacted
the area in September 2013.
Lindsey E. Helms Boone (DVM ’08, PhD ’13) and
Kevin Claunch, DVM, were both recently boardcertified by the American College of Veterinary
Surgeons (Large Animal). Drs. Boone and Claunch
did their residencies at our Large Animal Veterinary
Teaching Hospital.
Obituaries:
George T. Deriso (DVM ’65); St. Simons Island, Ga.; March 10,
2014 u James C. Wilkinson (DVM ’57); Chilhowie, Va.; March
26, 2014 u Peter B. McKoy (DVM ’69); Rembert, S.C.; April
2, 2014 u William W. McPherson (DVM ’60); Augusta, Ga.;
April 5, 2014 u Walter G. Pearson (DVM ’53); Raleigh, N.C.;
April 10, 2014 u Gray F. Eubank (DVM ’79); Largo, Fla.; April
11, 2014 u William F. Meriwether (DVM ’54); Decatur, Ga.;
May 7, 2014 u Don O. Gay (DVM ’68); Monticello, Ga.; May
19, 2014 u Ralph D. MacPherson (DVM ’54); Saint Michaels,
Md.; June 15, 2014 Frank D. Taylor (DVM ’60); Faison, N.C.;
June 25, 2014 u Thomas G. Dickson (DVM ’66); York, S.C.;
June 26, 2014 u James R. Lindsey (DVM ’57); Mountain
Brook, Ala.; July 30, 2014 u Milton H. Hatcher (DVM ’58);
Gray, Ga.; Aug. 5, 2014 u Raymond H. Mason (DVM ’51);
Swainsboro, Ga.; Aug. 21, 2014 u Charles E. Franklin (DVM
’66); Jacksonville, N.C.; Aug. 28, 2014 u William D. Stafford
(DVM ’60); Narrows, Va.; Oct. 24, 2014 u Ralph D. King
(DVM ’61); Rockmart, Ga.; Nov. 10, 2014 u Robert M. Kuhn
(DVM ’52); Stuart, Fla.; Dec. 7, 2014 u Stanley Steinberg
(DVM ’59); Richmond, Va.; Dec. 25, 2014 u Bradford E. Buell
(DVM ’65); Pine Mountain, Ga.; Dec. 27, 2014 u Michael M.
Forney (DVM ’70); Worton, Md.; Dec. 31, 2014 u Lauren
Elizabeth Baldwin (DVM ’10); Clemson, S.C.; Jan. 31 u
Wilbur S. Higgs (DVM ’51); Cleveland, Tenn.; Feb. 8 u James
R. Hinton (DVM ’84); Gainesville, Ga.; Feb. 16 u George W.
Patton (DVM ’52); Fayetteville, Ga.; March 10 u Robert L.
Carson (DVM ’73); Auburn, Ala.; March 21 u Stonewall J.
Shirley (DVM ’54); Commerce, Ga.; April 6 u Wiley J. “Dub”
Greenway (DVM ’51); Roswell, Ga.; April 8 u Edgar M. Ewing
(DVM ’69); St. Augustine, Fla.; April 19
We want to know what you’re up to!
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vetalums@uga.edu
or fax: 706.583.0242
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34
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StudentNews
Grace Ashby, a PhD candidate in poultry science at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, received a $100,000 scholarship
from Merck Animal Health, to provide three years of support for her studies. Ashby is studying under Mark W. Jackwood, PhD, who heads the Poultry
Diagnostic and Research Center and also the College’s department of population health, and Brian Jordan, PhD, an assistant professor who is jointly
appointed to the departments of poultry science, at the UGA CAES, and population health. Ashby began her program in 2014. Her scholarship was
presented to her in January at the International Production & Processing Expo. Pictured, from left to right: Shannon Kellner, Business Unit Head – U.S.
Poultry, Merck Animal Health; Delair Angelo Bolis, Global Poultry Business Unit, MSD Animal Health; Grace Ashby; Brian Jordan, PhD; Mark Jackwood,
PhD; and, Harry Dickerson, BVSc, MS, PhD, DACVM, the associate dean for research and graduate affairs at the UGA CVM. Photo provided by Merck
Animal Health.
Julie Rushmore, (PhD ’13, DVM 2017) received the Robert
C. Anderson Memorial Award from the UGA Research
Foundation. The award recognizes her recent doctoral work in
behavioral ecology, which focuses on behavioral observations
from a community of wild chimpanzees in Kibale National
Park, Uganda, to examine how disease-causing pathogens
are transmitted among the chimps and to evaluate the
effectiveness of various disease intervention strategies.
Olivia Perwitasari, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the
department of infectious diseases, received a Postdoctoral
Research Award from the UGA Research Foundation for her
contributions to the field of antiviral therapeutics and the
host-virus interactions to govern infection outcome. Her work
at UGA has focused on the repurposing of available drugs as
new influenza treatments.
Brandi Flanagan (DVM 2016) received the Dr. Jack Walther
Leadership Award from the Western Veterinary Conference.
Six students received UGA Freeman Asia grants to study in
Southeast Asia during Summer 2015. The students wrote
their own grants, with help from John Rossow (DVM
2017), a student in the CVM’s DVM/MPH dual degree
program and also an officer in the International Veterinary
Student’s Association. The students who were awarded grants
are: Rossow, who will conduct research with the Mahidol
Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Vientiane,
Laos; Stephanie Howell and Amanda Morvai, both from
the Class of 2018, who will work with elephants at the
Maetaman Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand, through
Friends for Asia; Scott Epperson (DVM 2018), who will be
in Bangladesh evaluating avian influenza surveillance for
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research;
Ashlynn Turner (DVM 2018), who is doing an internship
at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia; and
Julie Thompson (DVM 2018), who will research Salmonella
and Campylobacter in wetland birds at the Universiti Putra
Malaysia in Serdang, Malaysia.
Andrea Josefina Ayala, a PhD student in the CVM’s
Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences program, received the
2015 Ford Foundation (National Research Council/National
Academy of Sciences) Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award,
providing $72,000 for three years of support during her
studies. Ayala is researching the bi-directionality of avian
pathogens at the agricultural-wildlife interface and the
mechanisms that may drive viruses to switch host species.
35
Students, faculty and staff who were inducted during the annual Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society ceremony, held at the UGA College
of Veterinary Medicine on April 9. Front row, from left: Dr. Stivalis Cardenas Garcia, a PhD student in pathology; Jennifer Velasco
(2017); Katherine Larson (2016); Kaylan Stone (2015); Marion Floyd (2015); Dr. Annie Page-Karjian, who is completing her PhD in
pathology; Arielle Damm (2015). Second row, from left: Heidi Gordon (2015); Tiffany Jenkins (2015); Nicole Woller (2015); Matt
Phi Zeta honors for 2015
The College of Veterinary Medicine recognized
outstanding faculty and students with honors for excellence
in teaching, research and service at its annual Phi Zeta
Veterinary Honor Society Induction Ceremony, held April
9. Listed on this page are awards for students. Please see the
Faculty News section for awards presented to faculty.
Jennifer Velasco (DVM 2017) received the
Outstanding Sophomore Student Award for having the
highest cumulative grade point average and outstanding
professionalism in the second-year class. As part of her
award, Velasco will serve as vice president on the Phi Zeta
Board for one year.
36
Eight students, who were nominated by their peers,
were recognized for their leadership, service and outreach
in the community, their place of worship, the UGA College
of Veterinary Medicine, student clubs or veterinary
fraternities. The following students received the Bruce
Hollett Student Leadership, Service and Outreach
Award: Katie Griner and Tucker Avra, from the Class of
2015; Cody Mannino and Adriana Weil, from the Class of
2016; Sara Collins and Samantha Williams Roberts, from
the Class of 2017; and Matthew Bradley and Ashlynn
Turner, from the Class of 2018.
New student inductees into the Phi Zeta Honorary
Jenerette (2015); Dr. Susan Fogelson, a resident and PhD student in pathology; Julianne Felton (2015); Dr. Elizabeth Elsmo, a resident in
pathology. Back row, from left: Frederick D. Quinn, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases; Dr. Daniel Rissi, a clinical assistant
professor of pathology; Tucker Avra (2015); Dr. Lorelei Clarke, who is pursuing both a residency and PhD in pathology; Dr. Chien-tsun
Huang, who just completed her PhD in pathology. Photo by Sue Myers Smith.
Society included: Tucker Avra, Arielle Damm, Julianne
Felton, Marion Floyd, Debra Gohr, Heidi Gordon, Emily
Hadaway, Kristen Hamsley, Matthew Jenerette, Tiffany
Jenkins, Jennifer Safko, Kaylan Stone, Emily Underwood,
Amanda Walton and Nicole Woller, from the Class of 2015.
Bradley Buckallew, Megan Caudill, Elizabeth Crabtree,
Christina Handford, Katherine Larson, Katy Mayhew,
Haley Olsen, Scott Robustelli and Brittney Uhland, from
the Class of 2016.
Six residents/graduate students were inducted: Lorelei
Clarke, DVM, who is doing a combined residency-PhD
program, with a residency in anatomic pathology and PhD in
veterinary pathology; Elizabeth Elsmo, DVM, a resident in
anatomic pathology with a focus on wildlife; Susan Fogelson,
DVM, MS, who is also doing the combined residency-PhD
program, with her residency in anatomic pathology and her
PhD in veterinary pathology with a focus in aquatic animal
pathology; Stivalis Cardenas Garcia, MVZ, a PhD student
in the Department of Pathology; Chien-Tsun Huang, DVM,
(MS ’12, PhD ’14), and Annie Page-Karjian (DVM ’11), who
is completing her PhD in veterinary pathology.
Daniel Rissi, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVP, a clinical
assistant professor of pathology, was also inducted into Phi
Zeta.>>
37
StudentNews
Phi Zeta continued
Honorary inductees this year were:
Frederick D. Quinn, MS, PhD, head of the
department of infectious diseases, and the
Athletic Association Professor of Infectious
Disesases, and, Eric R. LaFontaine, PhD, an
associate professor of infectious diseases.
Winners of the Phi Zeta Manuscript
Competition were: Tiago Afonso, DVM, a
resident in large animal internal medicine, and
Qingqing (Connie) Chai, DVM; both Drs.
Afonso and Chai are also PhD candidates in
the College’s Veterinary Biomedical Sciences
program. Dr. Afonso’s manuscript, which
was published in the Journal of Veterinary
Internal Medicine in 2013 (27:1185-1192),
was titled “Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of 4
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in
Healthy Adult Horses.” Dr. Chai’s manuscript,
titled “Enhancement of Blood-brain Barrier
Permeability and Reduction of Tight Junction
Protein Expression Are Modulated by
Chemokines/Cytokines induced by Rabies
Virus Infection,” was published in the Journal of
Virology in 2014 (88:4698-4710).
The Morrow B. Thompson Award was
presented to Chien-Tsun Huang, DVM,
(MS ’12, PhD ’14). Huang is completing her
residency in clinical pathology and finished her
PhD, which focused on the rabies virus, this
past December. The award is presented annually
to a senior student, resident or graduate student
who excels in veterinary clinical pathology, and
is given in memory of Morrow B. Thompson
(DVM ’76).
The Dennis Sikes Scholarship in
Experimental Pathology was awarded to
Annie Page-Karjian (DVM ’11) for her work
with sea turtles. Page-Karjian is completing
her PhD in pathology. This award is presented
to a pathology graduate student who excels in
research of disease processes, also known as
experimental or investigative pathology. It is
given in memory of Dr. Dennis “Chock” Sikes, a
research professor and veterinarian biologist at
UGA who was the first Georgian to receive the
Royal Society Award.
38
Congratulations to our New Student
Ambassadors!
Student Ambassadors assist with recruitment, outreach and
College-related activities to enhance the public image of the
College, its students and its programs. Below are the names and
areas of interest for our Student Ambassadors from the Class of
2018. Photos by Christopher B. Herron.
Spencer Bragg
mixed animal
Brigid Burns
small animal
Alexandra Cox
mixed animal
Miles Flanders
mixed animal
Scott Foster
mixed animal
Leah Hixon
mixed animal
Meg Korpita
public health/
military/
government
Anna Morocco
small animal
Katie Beth
Murray
small animal
Layne Oldfield
equine
Seth Stowers
food animal
Priya
Subbarayan
wildlife/exotics
Scarlett
Sumner
public health/
military/
government
Taylor Treen
wildlife/exotics
Ashlynn Turner
mixed animal
Karen Wu
public health/
military/
government
Honors and Awards
Highlights from 2015 banquet
The awards listed below represent the senior clinical awards and a sampling of the scholarships that were bestowed upon UGA CVM
students during the 2015 Honors and Awards Banquet, held in April. Photos by Christopher B. Herron.
Elodie Huget (DVM 2015) received the
American College of Veterinary Radiology
Award. Huget also received the American
College of Veterinary Surgeons Award.
Sheilena Brookshire, Whitney Hinson, Matthew
Jenerette, Tiffany Jenkins, Rebecca Welch and
Jessica Wong, all from the Class of 2015, received
Certificates of Merit for Proficiency in Anatomic
Pathology.
Jennifer Abi Younes (DVM 2015) received
the American College of Veterinary Internal
Medicine Certificate of Clinical Excellence.
Wesley Mercer (DVM 2015) received the
Elanco/Ethicon Surgical Excellence Award.
Do Young Kwak, Debra Gohr, Will Marscher
and DG Sandu, all from the Class of 2015,
received Certificates of Merit for Proficiency in
Clinical Pathology.
Alessandra Keenan
Zeb Duvall (DVM 2015) received the Field
Service Award.
Shannon Larsen (DVM 2015) received the
Large Animal In-House Award.
Alessandra Keenan (DVM 2015) received
the John Morton Award for Humane Animal
Care. Keenan also received the American
College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia
Clinical Proficiency Award and the Martha F.
Cannon Scholarship for Clinical Excellence in
Ophthalmology, as well as a Certificate of Merit
for Proficiency in Clinical Pathology.
Atticus Mabry (DVM 2015) received the
American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology
Senior Student Award.
Chelsea Davis (DVM 2015) received the
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Certificate of Clinical Excellence.
Zeb Duvall
Alex Byas (DVM 2015) received the American
College of Veterinary Pathologists Award for
Excellence in Veterinary Pathology. Byas also
received the Bob Rosenthall Senior Student
Award for Proficiency in Clinical Oncology,
and Certificates of Merit for Proficiency in
Anatomic Pathology and Proficiency in Clinical
Pathology.
Whitney Hinson (DVM 2015) received the
American College of Veterinary Surgeons Award.
Debra Gohr (DVM 2015) received the American
Association of Feline Practitioners Outstanding
Senior Award.
Katy Ellis (DVM 2015) received the Proficiency
in Theriogenology Award.
Tucker Avra, Katey Ellis, Emily Hadaway,
Jacob Hammond, Brittany Murphy, Natalia
Rodriguez, Deanna Veal and Lansing
Yarborough, all from the Class of 2015,
received Certificates of Merit for Proficiency in
Large Animal Medicine and Surgery.
Katie Rosenbalm (DVM 2015) received the Food
Animal Production Medicine Clinical Proficiency
Award.
Kalyn Kitchings
Kalyn Kitchings (DVM 2015) received the
Award for Academic Excellence in Veterinary
Ophthalmology. Kitchings also received the
Martha F. Cannon Scholarship for Clinical
Excellence in Ophthalmology, and Certificates
of Merit for Proficiency in Clinical Pathology,
Proficiency in Large Animal Medicine and
Surgery and also for Proficiency in Small Animal
Medicine and Surgery.
Paula Rodriguez (DVM 2015) received the
Award for Proficiency in Emergency & Critical
Care. Rodriguez also received the John Morton
Award for Humane Animal Care, and Certificates
of Merit for Proficiency in Large Animal Medicine
and Surgery, as well as for Proficiency in Small
Animal Medicine and Surgery.
Alex Byas
39
StudentNews
Honors continued
Jennifer James (DVM 2015) received the Bayer Excellence in
Communication Award.
Rayle White (DVM 2015) received the Elanco/Ethicon
Surgical Excellence Award. White also received the
Outstanding Senior Oncology Student Scholarship.
Samantha Dockery (DVM 2015) received the Blanch D.
Hayes Award for demonstrated
excellence in caring for felines and
for having an exemplary “cage-side
manner.”
Allison Robillard (DVM 2015)
received the Kaytee Avian and
Special Species Excellence Award.
Amie Goedeke (DVM 2015)
received the John Oliver Neurology
Award.
Brittany Murphy (DVM 2015) received the Marguerite T.
Hodgson Equine Fellowship in Veterinary Medicine.
Julianne Felton (DVM 2015) received the Dr. R. Bruce
Hollett Fellowship in Veterinary Medicine.
Joel Noah (DVM 2015) received the
Barbara C. Joslin Scholarship.
Betsy Andrews (DVM 2017),
Brittany Bristol (DVM 2016),
Elizabeth Cavender (DVM 2015),
Chelsea Comer (DVM 2015), Jed
Darden (DVM 2016), Annemarieke
de Vlaming (DVM 2017), Alyson
Frederick (DVM 2015), Lisa James
(DVM 2017), Kelsey Robinson
(DVM 2016), Priya Subbarayan
(DVM 2018), Kellyn Sweeley (DVM
2018) and Katarina Yi (DVM 2018)
received the Hugh and Victoria Leary
Scholarship.
Shelbe Harry
Nicole Woller
Nicole Woller (DVM 2015)
received the Outstanding Senior Internal Medicine Student
Scholarship.
Shelbe Harry (DVM 2018) received
the Steve Lee Memorial Research
Scholarship.
Heidi Gordon (DVM 2015) received the Rafter Memorial
Scholarship. Gordon also received a Certificate of Merit for
Proficiency in Clinical Pathology.
Karolina Ferreira (DVM 2016)
received the Robert Otto Lewis
Scholarship.
Tucker Avra, Lee Barton, Matthew Beeson, Chelsea Comer,
Amie Goedeke, Jacob Hammond, Julia Hill, Jennifer
James, Maren Mason, Zach Moore and Christopher Perry,
all from the Class of 2015, also received Certificates of Merit
for Proficiency in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery.
Patrick Bales, Stephanie Howell,
Tessa Sghiatti and Anna Slagle,
all members of the Class of 2018,
received the William and Florence
McFarlane Scholarship.
Jackie Marinoff
(DVM 2018) received
the Deanna Bowen
Armstrong Memorial
Scholarship.
Seth Stowers (DVM 2018) received the Donald E. McKinney
Award.
Katie Malehorn (DVM
2015) received the Dr.
David A. Forehand
Scholarship.
Jamie Fendley (DVM
2015), Allison Graf
(DVM 2018), Dane
Knudsen (DVM 2017)
and Christina Scanlon
(DVM 2016) received the
William Morris Grayson
Scholarship.
Julianne Felton
40
Seth Stowers
Juliane Johnston (DVM 2016), Julie Rushmore (DVM
2017), Leo Sage (DVM 2016) and Alexandra Scharf (DVM
2018) received the Dorothy and Thomas Morris Scholarship.
All are students in the CVM’s DVM-PhD dual degree
program.
Bradley Buckallew, Christina Handford, Anna Hill, Katy
Mayhew, Haley Olsen, Scott Robustelli and Brittney
Uhland, all members of the Class of 2016, received the
Salsbury Foundation Scholarship.
Dawne Rowe (DVM 2016) received the American
Veterinary Medical Association PLIT Student Scholarship.
Chrissy Casey (DVM 2018) received the Dr. Dilmus
Blackmon Scholarship.
Maureen Kelly (DVM 2017) received the Bucks, Mueller and
Moore Equine Scholarship.
Special Recognition
Tiffany Jenkins (DVM 2015) and Yaritibel Torres-Mendoza
(DVM 2017) received the John and Jeanne Capozzi
Scholarship.
Elizabeth Crabtree (DVM 2016)
received the Dr. Rinaldo DeNuzzo
Family Memorial Scholarship.
John Rossow
Chrissy Casey (DVM 2018), Dylan
Djani (DVM 2017), Aaron Galton
(DVM 2017), Mackenzie Long
(DVM 2018), Caitlin McManemon
(DVM 2017), Victor Oppenheimer
(DVM 2017), Mireya Smith (DVM
2018), Kevin Spiegel (DVM 2018),
Alena Strelchick (DVM 2017),
Scarlett Sumner (DVM 2018),
Kellyn Sweeley (DVM 2018) and
Karen Wu (DVM 2018) were
selected for the Georgia Veterinary
Scholars Program.
John Rossow (DVM 2017) received
the Dr. Paul Hoffman Scholarship.
Brynn Davis (DVM 2016) received
the Edward E. Hood Foundation
Companion Animal Scholarship.
Ryan Dover
Jamie Ashbrook (DVM 2016)
received the Edward E. Hood
Foundation Equine Scholarship.
Grace Vahey (DVM 2016) received the Dr. Kerry Young
Jackson Scholarship.
Ryan Dover (DVM 2017) received the Dennis Wylie Jordan
Memorial Scholarship.
Allison Williard (DVM 2016) received the Dr. John
McCormack Scholarship.
Lacey Pepples (DVM 2017) received the Dr. J. T. Mercer
Scholarship.
Nathan Foley (DVM 2017) received the North American
Veterinary Conference Student Award.
Karen Christ (DVM 2016) received the Simmons
Educational Fund Business Aptitude Award.
Grace Bonner (DVM 2017), Jennifer Velasco (DVM 2017)
and Adriana Weil (DVM 2016) received the Frances Wood
Wilson Scholarship.
Matthew Jenerette
(DVM 2015) received the
Dean Emeritus Thomas
J. Jones Cup for being an
outstanding fourth-year
student. Jenerette was
selected on the basis of
personality, professional
proficiency and scholastic
achievement (upper 10%).
Matthew Beeson
(DVM 2015) received
the Clifford Westerfield
Award for maintaining
the highest scholastic
average throughout the
four-year DVM program
at the CVM.
Marion Floyd (DVM 2015) received the Dr. David J.
Wilhelm Scholarship.
Jessica Comolli (DVM 2016), Elizabeth Crabtree (DVM
2016), Sydney Crosby (DVM 2016), Dylan Djani (DVM
2017), Kevin Guzman (DVM 2017), Cher Hung (DVM
2017), Phil LaTourette (DVM 2017), Andrea Massa (DVM
2017), Leo Sage (DVM 2016), Eric Shepherd (DVM 2016),
Alex Sigmund (DVM 2016), Ali Terrell (DVM 2016),
Yaritbel Torres Mendoza (DVM 2017), Allison Williard
(DVM 2016) and Chad Willman (DVM 2017) received the
Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship.
Laura Adkins (DVM 2016), Brittany Feldhaeusser (DVM
2017), Nina Griffin (DVM 2015) and Laura Roberts (DVM
2018) received the Atlanta Kennel Club Scholarship.
Meryl Anderson (DVM 2016) received the CH Forfox Liz
Claiborn CDX Scholarship.
Marcie Eldred (DVM 2017) and Christopher Perry (DVM
2015) received the Conyers Kennel Club Scholarship.
41
Why We Give: John and Jeanne Capozzi
Photo by Sue Myers Smith
We are John and Jeanne Capozzi, a retired couple from
New Jersey. Jeanne worked as an educator for 32 years in the
public school elementary system. John was art director for
Channel Companies for several years before he opened his
own business, Frame & Fancy Ltd. He also was active in the
residential and commercial real estate market.
After a Christmas vacation trip to Savannah in 1986,
we purchased a vacation home in the historic district of
Savannah. Each visit increased our love for Savannah and we
began to refer to our vacation home as “our piece of heaven.”
When the time came for retirement, the historic district
home was sold and another was purchased on Whitemarsh
Island in Savannah.
John was a long time member of Rotary International,
where he met Dr. Stanley Lester, a local veterinarian. When
Dr. Lester became aware of our love for animals and our
desire for estate planning that involved animal welfare,
he suggested we contact the UGA College of Veterinary
Medicine. There, we had the good fortune to meet Kathy
Bangle, the College’s director of veterinary external affairs,
who invited us to tour the school. We were so impressed that
we made arrangements in our will to bequeath a portion of
42
our estate to the College. Since we earmarked a good portion
of our estate for veterinary scholarships, we decided to start
with two small annual scholarships while we were still alive.
It has been a pleasure to meet the recipients each year at the
annual honors and awards dinner in April.
Our relationship with UGA, and especially the College
of Veterinary Medicine, has been such a positive one. All
the staff and students are outstanding. It has been a very
satisfying experience, one from which we feel we have
received so much more than we have given.
For More Information
If you would like to make a gift to the UGA
College of Veterinary Medicine, contact
our Office of Veterinary External Affairs at
706.542.1807 or give2vet@uga.edu
The Anatomy of Exceptional
Animal Care
Inside the new, state-of-the-art University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital, you’ll find
a thoughtfully designed environment centered on the patient. It houses the latest technology,
advanced diagnostics and dedicated treatment spaces for large and small animals. And
at the heart of it is the staff – from doctors to nurses to students in training – providing our
hallmark compassionate care.
2200 College Station Road, Athens GA 30602
Now Open
at Our New Location
vet.uga.edu/new-hospital
706.542.3221
43
Athens, GA 30602-7371
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Dates to remember:
Aug. 1
Aug. 16
Sept. 2
Sept. 23
Oct. 17
March 11-12, 2016
Hawaii Dawg-O (at the Georgia Theatre)
White Coat Ceremony
GVMA Barbecue (at the Veterinary Medical Center)
Vet School for a Day
Dean’s Tailgate (Homecoming weekend)
53rd Annual Veterinary Conference & Alumni Weekend (at the Georgia Center)
Continuing Education Courses:
CE dates and topics are subject to change. Questions about CE? Contact Melissa Kilpatrick at melissak@uga.edu or
706.542.1451, or online at www.vet.uga.edu/ce
Aug. 9
Aug. 16
Sept. 10-11
Oct. 10
Oct. 10-11
Oct. 24-25
Nov. 12-13
Nov. 14
Nov. 15
Dec. 5-6
Dec. 5-6
Dec. 11-12
Dec. 12-13
“S” is for Skin: A Day of Dermatology
Laser Therapy in Veterinary Practice
Comparative Ocular Pathology (COPS)
Fall GVTAA Veterinary Technician Conference
Small Animal Surgery
Small Animal Medicine
11th Annual Equine Encore
Dentistry for Veterinary Technicians
Veterinary Dentistry
Avian & Reptile Endoscopy
Outpatient Medicine
Small Animal Arthoscopy
Interventional Minimally Invasive Surgery
This publication is paid for by private
donations, and is available online at
vet.uga.edu. For future mailings, if you
would prefer to receive our Aesculapian
or Annual Report electronically, please
email us at vetnews@uga.edu and tell
us what email address you would like
us to notify when the publication goes
online. Thank you for your support
of the UGA College of Veterinary
Medicine!
Make plans to join us for the annual
Dean’s Tailgate on October 17.
The fun starts 3 hours before kickoff!

Open for Business! - University of Georgia College of Veterinary

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